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Medical Abbreviations Starting With "U"
This page lists 70 medical abbreviations starting with "U", each with its full form and a plain-English meaning. Where one abbreviation has more than one common meaning, each meaning has its own row — context in the chart is what tells them apart. Terms flagged ⚠ Error-prone are on recognised error-prone lists and should be written out in full. Use the filter box to narrow this list, the search on the main guide to search all 5,715 entries, or jump to another letter:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N 0–9 O P Q R S T V W X Y Z
| Abbreviation | Full form | What it means | Used in |
|---|---|---|---|
| U ⚠ Error-prone | unit | Unit of measure, error-prone when handwritten | Prescription & Medication Orders |
| U&E | urea and electrolytes | Blood panel of kidney and salt levels | Laboratory Renal & Nephrology |
| UA | unstable angina | Chest pain from reduced heart blood flow that is new or worsening | Cardiology |
| UA | urinalysis | Laboratory examination of a urine sample | Laboratory Renal & Nephrology |
| UA Doppler | umbilical artery Doppler | Blood flow study of the cord vessels | Obstetrics & Gynecology Radiology & Imaging |
| UAC | umbilical arterial catheter | Cord artery line for pressures and samples | Pediatrics Nursing Emergency & Critical Care |
| UAE | uterine artery embolization (fibroid) | Blocking fibroid blood supply — fibroid | Obstetrics & Gynecology Radiology & Imaging |
| UB-CAM | Ultra-Brief Confusion Assessment Method | Two-item delirium screen | Neurology Emergency & Critical Care |
| UBT | urea breath test | Breath test for H. pylori infection | Laboratory Gastroenterology Infectious Disease |
| UC | ulcerative colitis | Inflammatory disease of the colon lining | Gastroenterology |
| UCB | umbilical cord blood | Stem cell source from banked cord blood | Hematology & Oncology Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| UCL | ulnar collateral ligament | Ligament stabilising the inner elbow or thumb | Musculoskeletal |
| UCVA | uncorrected visual acuity | Vision measured without glasses or contacts | General Medical |
| UCx | urine culture | Test growing germs from a urine sample | Laboratory Infectious Disease Renal & Nephrology |
| UD | as directed | Use as instructed, from Latin ut dictum | Prescription & Medication Orders |
| UDS | urine drug screen (panel) | Urine drug panel — panel | Emergency & Critical Care Laboratory Psychiatry |
| UF | ultrafiltration | Removal of fluid across a filter or membrane | Renal & Nephrology |
| UF goal | ultrafiltration goal (dialysis target) | Fluid removal target for a dialysis session | Renal & Nephrology Nursing |
| UF PD | ultrafiltration (peritoneal) | Fluid removed by a PD exchange | Renal & Nephrology Nursing |
| UF rate | ultrafiltration rate (dialysis) | Speed of fluid removal during dialysis | Renal & Nephrology |
| UFE | uterine fibroid embolization | Fibroid treatment by artery blocking | Radiology & Imaging Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| UFH | unfractionated heparin | Injectable blood thinner given in hospital, often by drip | Cardiology |
| UGIB | upper gastrointestinal bleed | Bleeding from the food pipe, stomach or upper intestine | Gastroenterology Emergency & Critical Care |
| UHDRS | Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scale (score) | Huntington severity scale — score | Neurology |
| UHR | ultra high risk (psychosis) | Highest psychosis risk category | Psychiatry |
| UIBC | unsaturated iron-binding capacity | Unused iron-carrying capacity of blood | Laboratory Hematology & Oncology |
| UIP | usual interstitial pneumonia | Pattern of lung scarring typically seen in pulmonary fibrosis | Respiratory |
| UKA | unicompartmental knee arthroplasty | Partial knee replacement | Surgery Musculoskeletal |
| ULar | ultralow anterior resection | Very low rectal removal | Surgery Gastroenterology |
| ulnar art | ulnar artery | Forearm artery at the pinky-side wrist | General Medical Musculoskeletal |
| ulnar n | ulnar nerve (anatomy) | Nerve behind the elbow to the pinky side | Neurology Musculoskeletal |
| UM N signs | upper motor neuron signs (exam) | Overactive reflexes and stiffness findings | Neurology |
| umbilical hernia repair | umbilical hernia repair (procedure) | Fixing a belly-button hernia — procedure | Surgery |
| umbilical lines | umbilical catheter (UAC/UVC) | Cord vessel lines of newborns | Pediatrics Nursing Emergency & Critical Care |
| UMN | upper motor neuron | Nerve cell carrying movement signals from brain to cord | Neurology |
| uncal | uncal herniation (type) | Side brain tissue pressing on the brainstem | Neurology Emergency & Critical Care |
| UNHS | universal newborn hearing screening | Hearing testing of all newborns | Pediatrics Nursing |
| unicornuate | unicornuate uterus (anomaly) | Half-formed womb | Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| Unterberger | Unterberger stepping test | Marching-in-place rotation test for balance | Neurology |
| UOP | urine output | Amount of urine produced over a period | Renal & Nephrology Nursing |
| upbeat | upbeat nystagmus (type) | Upward-beating eye oscillation | Neurology |
| UPCR | urine protein-to-creatinine ratio | Urine test estimating protein loss from kidneys | Renal & Nephrology Laboratory |
| UPDRS | Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale | Score of Parkinson's disease severity | Neurology |
| UPEP | urine protein electrophoresis | Test separating urine proteins into bands | Laboratory Hematology & Oncology Renal & Nephrology |
| UPJ | ureteropelvic junction obstruction | Blockage where the kidney meets the urine tube | Pediatrics Renal & Nephrology |
| UPJ obstruction | ureteropelvic junction obstruction (diagnosis) | Kidney outlet narrowing — diagnosis | Pediatrics Renal & Nephrology Radiology & Imaging |
| UPPP | uvulopalatopharyngoplasty | Throat operation widening the airway for sleep apnoea | General Medical Surgery Respiratory |
| urea cycle | urea cycle disorders (group) | Ammonia-clearing pathway diseases | Pediatrics Laboratory |
| uremia | uremia (syndrome) | Waste build-up symptom syndrome | Renal & Nephrology Emergency & Critical Care |
| uremic encephalopathy | uremic encephalopathy (indication) | Brain dysfunction from uremia — indication | Renal & Nephrology Neurology Emergency & Critical Care |
| uremic pericarditis | uremic pericarditis (dialysis indication) | Heart sac inflammation from uremia — indication | Renal & Nephrology Cardiology Emergency & Critical Care |
| URI | upper respiratory infection | Infection of the nose, throat or sinuses, such as a cold | Respiratory Infectious Disease |
| urine ACR | urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio | Urine test quantifying kidney protein leakage | Laboratory Renal & Nephrology Endocrinology |
| urine osm | urine osmolality | Concentration of urine used in water balance assessment | Laboratory Renal & Nephrology |
| urodynamics proc | urodynamics (procedure) | Bladder pressure studies — procedure | Renal & Nephrology Surgery |
| UroLift | prostatic urethral lift | Implant procedure holding the prostate open | Surgery Renal & Nephrology |
| URR | urea reduction ratio | Percentage fall in urea across a dialysis session | Renal & Nephrology Laboratory |
| URS | ureteroscopy | Scope examination of the ureter, often for stones | Renal & Nephrology Surgery |
| URT | upper respiratory tract | Air passages from the nose down to the voice box | Respiratory |
| US | ultrasound | Imaging using sound waves | Radiology & Imaging |
| USP | United States Pharmacopeia | Official medicine quality standards body and its standards | Prescription & Medication Orders |
| USS | ultrasound scan | Imaging using sound waves | Radiology & Imaging |
| UtA Doppler | uterine artery Doppler | Flow study predicting preeclampsia and growth problems | Obstetrics & Gynecology Radiology & Imaging |
| UTD | urinary tract dilation (classification) | Modern kidney swelling classification | Pediatrics Renal & Nephrology Radiology & Imaging |
| uterine packing | uterine packing (hemorrhage) | Gauze packing the womb for bleeding | Obstetrics & Gynecology Surgery |
| uterosacral suspension | uterosacral ligament suspension | Stitching the vagina top to its natural ligaments | Obstetrics & Gynecology Surgery |
| UTI | urinary tract infection | Infection of the bladder, urethra or kidneys | Renal & Nephrology Infectious Disease |
| UTI child | febrile urinary tract infection (childhood) | Kidney infection with fever in children | Pediatrics Renal & Nephrology Infectious Disease |
| UUI | urge urinary incontinence | Leaking of urine following a sudden urgent need to pass urine | Obstetrics & Gynecology Renal & Nephrology |
| UVC | umbilical venous catheter | Cord vein line for fluids and medicines | Pediatrics Nursing Emergency & Critical Care |
Educational reference only. This guide is for learning and quick reference. Abbreviations vary between hospitals, countries and specialties, and some are discouraged because they can be misread. Always write and interpret orders using your own institution’s approved abbreviation list, and check anything unclear with the prescriber or your local policy.