Test or procedure

CAT medical abbreviation

CAT means "computerized axial tomography".

Each meaning matched at least two public references (6 in all for CAT), checked October 23, 2026. The table lists them.

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What CAT means

Example

Sample order: "CAT scan."

A made-up line that shows the abbreviation in place. It is not about any patient and is not an instruction.

Related abbreviations

  • CTcomputed tomography
  • MRImagnetic resonance imaging
  • XRextended release
  • USultrasound
  • PETpositron emission tomography
  • C/Scesarean section

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Questions

What does CAT mean in medical terms?

CAT means "computerized axial tomography".

Where is CAT used?

CAT shows up in charting and orders. Its category here is test or procedure.

Is CAT on the Joint Commission Do Not Use list?

No. CAT is not on the Joint Commission Do Not Use list or the ISMP error-prone list as checked on October 23, 2026.

Source: MedlinePlus Appendix B: Some Common Abbreviations (NLM); NCI Thesaurus, including CDISC SDTM terminology (NCI EVS); NLM SPECIALIST Lexicon abbreviations file (LRABR); FDA Acronyms and Abbreviations; CMS Acronyms; Army Regulation 40-66, Appendix B: Authorized Medical Records Abbreviations. Data as of October 23, 2026. Last updated October 23, 2026. How we source data. Spotted an error? Send a correction.

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