| Abbreviation
|
Meaning
|
| c̅ |
(c with an overbar) with (from Latin cum) means with
|
| C |
cytosine
cervical vertebrae
|
| C1 |
atlas – first cervical vertebra of the spine
|
| C2 |
axis – second cervical vertebra of the spine
|
| CA |
carcinoma
cancer
|
| Ca |
calcium
carcinoma
cancer
|
| CAA |
coronary artery aneurysm
|
| c/b |
complicated by
|
| CABG |
coronary artery bypass graft (pronounced "cabbage")
|
| CABP |
coronary artery bypass procedure
|
| CAD |
coronary artery disease
|
| CADASIL |
cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy
|
| CAG |
coronary artery graft
coronary angiography
|
| CAGE |
cut down, annoyed, guilty, eye opener (screening for alcoholism)
|
| CAGS |
coronary artery graft surgery
|
| cAMP |
cyclic adenosine monophosphate
|
| CAH |
chronic active hepatitis
congenital adrenal hyperplasia
|
| CAKUT |
congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract, see bladder outlet obstruction
|
| CALLA |
common acute lymphocytic leukemia antigen
|
| CALM |
café au lait macules
|
| CAM |
cell adhesion molecule
complementary and alternative medicine
|
| CAMP |
cyclic adenosine monophosphate
|
| CAP |
community-acquired pneumonia
|
| CAPD |
continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis
|
| CAO |
conscious, alert, and oriented (no altered level of consciousness)
|
| CaOx |
calcium oxalate
|
| Caps |
capsule
|
| CAs |
congenital anomalies, see birth defect
|
| CAT / CT |
computed axial tomography / computed tomography
|
| Cath |
catheter
|
| CAUTI |
Catheter-associated urinary tract infection
|
| CBA |
cost–benefit analysis (of treatment methods)
|
| CBC/DIFF |
complete blood count/differential
|
| CBD |
common bile duct
|
| CBE |
clinical breast examination
|
| CBF |
cerebral blood flow
|
| CBI |
continuous bladder irrigation, as in Hematuria (Acute clot retention)
|
| CBS |
chronic brain syndrome
|
CC
cc |
cubic centimeter (use ml instead—see the list of abbreviations used in prescriptions)
chief complaint
cardiac catheter
carbon copy
closing capacity
|
| CCA |
clear cell adenocarcinoma
|
| CCB |
calcium channel blocker
|
| CCCU |
critical coronary care unit
|
CCE
C/C/E |
clubbing, cyanosis, and edema (general signs of cardiovascular disease)
|
| CCG |
Clinical commissioning group
|
| CCF |
congestive cardiac failure
|
| CCK |
cholecystokinin
|
| CCK-PZ |
cholecystokinin-pancreozymin
|
| CCNS |
cell cycle–nonspecific [drug] (a type of drug used in chemotherapy)
|
| CCOC |
clear cell odontogenic carcinoma
|
| CCOT |
calcifying cystic odontogenic tumor (formerly called calcifying odontogenic cyst)
|
| CCP |
cyclic citrullinated peptide
|
| CCR |
cardiocerebral resuscitation
|
| CCU |
coronary care unit
critical care unit
|
| CD |
Celiac disease
Crohn's disease
chemical dependency
cluster of differentiation
controlled delivery
|
| CDAD |
Clostridioides difficile–associated diarrhoea
|
| CDC |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
|
| CDH |
congenital dislocated hip
|
| CDI |
central diabetes insipidus
Clostridioides difficile infection
cool, dry, intact (when referring to incision/surgical sites) or clean, dry, intact when referring to bandages/dressings
|
| CDMR |
caesarean delivery on maternal request
|
| CDP |
cytosine diphosphate
|
| CDR |
cutaneous drug reaction
|
| CEA |
carcinoembryonic antigen
carotid endarterectomy
cost-effectiveness analysis
|
| CEIOL |
cataract extraction with intraocular lens placement
|
| CF |
cystic fibrosis
|
| CFA |
complement-fixing antibody
colonization factor antigen
|
| CFIDS |
chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome
|
| CFR |
case fatality rate
|
| CFS |
chronic fatigue syndrome
|
| CFT |
complement fixation test
capillary filling time
|
| CFTR |
cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator
|
| CFU |
colony-forming unit
|
| CGD |
chronic granulomatous disease
|
| CGI |
Clinical global impression (including subscales such as CGI-BP, CGI-C, CGI-E, CGI-I, CGI-S)
|
| cGMP |
cyclic guanosine monophosphate
|
| CGN |
chronic glomerulonephritis
|
| CH |
congenital hypothyroidism
|
| CHC |
combined hormonal contraceptive
|
| CHD |
chronic heart disease
congenital heart defect
coronary heart disease
|
| ChE |
cholinesterase
|
| CHEM-7 |
a group of blood tests, commonly called a basic metabolic panel (blood urea nitrogen, carbon dioxide, creatinine, glucose, serum chloride, serum potassium, serum sodium)
|
| CHEM-20 |
a group of blood tests (albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, calcium – serum, serum chloride, carbon dioxide, creatinine, direct bilirubin, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, glucose test, lactate dehydrogenase, phosphorus – serum, potassium test, serum sodium, total bilirubin, total cholesterol, total protein, uric acid)
|
| CHE |
cholinesterase
|
| CHF |
congestive heart failure
continuous hemofiltration
|
| CHIP |
clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential
|
| CHO |
carbohydrate
|
| CHOP |
cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin (a.k.a. hydroxydaunorubicin), vincristine(a.k.a. Oncovin), prednisone (chemotherapy regimen)
|
| Chol |
cholesterol
|
| CHS |
cannulated hip screw
|
| CHT |
congenital hypothyroidism
|
| CI |
confidence interval
cardiac index
|
| CIB |
cibus (food)
|
| CICU |
cardiac intensive care unit
|
| CIDP |
chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
|
| CIMF |
chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis
|
| CIN |
cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, contrast-induced nephropathy
|
| CINV |
Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
|
| Circ |
circumcision
circulation
|
| CIS |
carcinoma in situ
|
| CIVI |
continuous intravenous infusion
|
| CIWA |
Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol
|
| CJD |
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease
|
| CK |
creatine kinase (formerly CPK)
|
| CKD |
chronic kidney disease
|
| CKMB |
MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase
|
| Cl |
chlorine
clearance
|
| CLABSI |
central line-associated bloodstream infections, see central venous catheter
|
| CLARE |
contact lens acute red eye
|
| CLL |
chronic lymphocytic leukemia
|
| CLN |
cervical lymph node
|
| CLND |
cervical lymph node dissection
complete lymph node dissection
|
| CLP |
cleft lip and palate
|
| CLS |
capillary leak syndrome
|
| CM |
Chirurgiae Magister, Master of Surgery (British and Commonwealth countries medical degree)
Caucasian male
cardiomyopathy
|
| CMD |
cystic medial degeneration
|
| CME |
continuing medical education
|
| CML |
chronic myelogenous leukemia, also called chronic myeloid leukaemia
|
| CMML |
chronic myelomonocytic leukemia
|
| CMO |
comfort measures only (palliative care or hospice)
|
| CMP |
complete metabolic profile (a blood panel)
cytosine monophosphate
|
| CMS |
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
chronic mountain sickness
|
| CMT |
cervical motion tenderness
Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease
|
| CMV |
cytomegalovirus
|
| CN |
cranial nerves
|
| CNS |
central nervous system
Clinical nurse specialist
Crigler–Najjar syndrome
|
| CNVM |
Choroidal Neovascular Membranes
|
| C/O or c/o |
complains of...
|
| CO |
cardiac output
carbon monoxide
complains of...
|
| COAD |
chronic obstructive airways disease
|
| COCP |
combined oral contraceptive pill
|
| COH |
controlled ovarian hyperstimulation
|
| COLD |
chronic obstructive lung disease
|
| Comp |
compound
|
| Conj |
conjunctiva
|
| CoNS |
coagulase-negative staphylcocci
|
| COP |
cryptogenic organizing pneumonitis
|
| COPD |
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
|
| CO2 |
carbon dioxide
|
| COVID |
coronavirus disease
|
| COX-1 |
cyclooxygenase 1
|
| COX-2 |
cyclooxygenase 2
|
| COX-3 |
cyclooxygenase 3
|
| CP |
cerebral palsy
chest pain
constrictive pericarditis
|
| CPAP |
continuous positive airway pressure
|
| CPC |
clinical–pathological conference
|
| CPCR |
cardiopulmonary-cerebral resuscitation, a version of CPR
|
| CPD |
cephalopelvic disproportion
|
| CPE |
Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin
cardiogenic pulmonary edema
Carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae
|
| CPG |
clinical practice guideline
|
| CPK |
creatine phosphokinase
|
| CPKMB |
creatine phosphokinase heart
|
| CPP |
cerebral perfusion pressure
|
| CPPD |
calcium pyrophosphate
cyclic perimenstrual pain and discomfort[1] (premenstrual syndrome)
|
| CPR |
cardiopulmonary resuscitation
|
| CPT |
Current Procedural Terminology
|
| CR |
complete remission (complete response)
controlled release
|
| Cr |
creatinine
|
| CRC |
colorectal cancer
|
| CrCl |
creatinine clearance
(Note: Looks similar to, but does not mean, the chromium chlorides—CrCl2, CrCl3, CrCl4)
|
| CRD |
chronic renal disease
circadian rhythm disorder
|
| CRE |
carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae
|
| Creat |
creatinine
|
| CREST |
calcinosis, Raynaud esophagus, sclerosis, teleangiectasiae
|
| CRF |
chronic renal failure
corticotropin-releasing factor
|
| CrGN |
crescentic glomerulonephritis
|
| CRH |
corticotropin-releasing hormone
|
| CRI |
chronic renal insufficiency
|
| Crike |
Cricothyrotomy
|
| CRISPR |
clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats
|
| Crit |
hematocrit
|
| CRL |
crown-rump length
|
| CRNA |
certified registered nurse anesthetist
|
| CRO |
contract research organization
|
| CRP |
C-reactive protein
|
| CRPC |
castration-resistant prostate cancer
|
| CRPS |
complex regional pain syndrome
|
| CRRT |
continuous renal replacement therapy
|
| CRS |
congenital rubella syndrome
|
| CRSD |
circadian rhythm sleep disorder
|
| CRT |
cardiac resynchronization therapy (artificial pacemaker)
chemoradiotherapy
conformal radiotherapy (irradiated zone conforms to boundaries)
cathode-ray tube
capillary refill time
central retinal thickness
certified respiratory therapist
|
| CRTx |
chemoradiotherapy
|
| CS |
caesarean section
compartment syndrome
culture sensitivity
Churg–Strauss syndrome
|
| C/S |
Caesarean section
|
| C&S |
culture and sensitivity (antibiogram)
|
| CsA |
cyclosporin A
|
| CSA |
Controlled Substances Act
|
| C-section |
cesarean section
|
| CSF |
cerebrospinal fluid
colony-stimulating factor
|
| CSME |
clinically significant macular edema
|
| CSOM |
chronic suppurative otitis media
|
| CSP |
cavum septum pellucidum
|
| CSPC |
community specialist palliative care
|
| C-spine |
cervical spine
|
| CSR |
cumulative survival rate
|
| C-SSRS |
Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale
|
| CSU |
catheter specimen of urine
|
| CST |
contraction stress test
|
| CT |
computed tomography
cervicothoracic
|
| CTA |
clear to auscultation
computed tomography angiography
|
| CTAB |
clear to auscultation bilaterally; also written CTA B
|
| CTAP |
CT of the abdomen and pelvis
|
| CT during arterial portography
|
| CTCAE |
Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events
|
| CT c/a/p |
CT scan of chest, abdomen, and pelvis
|
| CTD |
connective tissue disease
|
| CTE |
chronic traumatic encephalopathy
coefficient of thermal expansion
|
| CTEPH |
Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension
|
| CTEV |
congenital talipes equinovarus
|
| CTO |
chronic total occlusion
Community Treatment Order (psychiatric term for forced drugging outside hospital context)
|
| CTP |
cytosine triphosphate
cytidine triphosphate
Child–Turcotte–Pugh score
clear to percussion
|
| CTPA |
computed tomographic pulmonary angiography
|
| CTPE |
CT scan for pulmonary embolii
|
| CTR |
carpal tunnel release
|
| CTS |
computed tomography scan
Carpal tunnel syndrome
|
| CTU |
cancer treatment unit
|
| CTx |
chemotherapy
|
| CTX |
ceftriaxone (a third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic)
contractions
chemotherapy
|
| CTZ |
Chemoreceptor trigger zone
|
| CUC |
chronic ulcerative colitis
|
| CV |
cardiovascular
|
| CVA |
cerebrovascular accident
costovertebral angle
|
| CVAD |
central venous access device
|
| CVAT |
costovertebral angle tenderness
|
| CVC |
central venous catheter
chronic venous congestion
|
| CVD |
cardiovascular disease
|
| CVI |
cerebrovascular incident
|
| CVL |
central venous line
|
| CVP |
central venous pressure
|
| CVS |
chorionic villus sampling
cardiovascular system
Cerebrovascular stroke
|
| CVID |
common variable immunodeficiency
|
| CVT |
cerebral venous thrombosis
|
| CVVH |
continuous veno-venous hemofiltration, a short-term alternative to Hemodialysis
|
| c/w |
consistent with
|
| CWP |
coal worker's pneumoconiosis
|
| Cx |
microbiological culture
|
| Cx |
complication
|
| Cx |
cervix
|
| CXR |
chest x-ray (chest radiograph)
|