Overview
ISO/TS 23961-3:2024 - Traditional Chinese medicine - Vocabulary for diagnostics - Part 3: Abdomen is a Technical Specification (first edition, June 2024) published by ISO/TC 249. This document standardizes terminology used in TCM abdominal diagnosis, defining terms for abdominal regions, clinical manifestations and the application of abdominal terms in diagnostic practice. Equivalent expressions in Chinese (Pinyin), Japanese and Korean are provided in Annex A, while Annex B illustrates abdominal body structures and palpation sites.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope and purpose: Establishes a standardized vocabulary for abdominal diagnosis in TCM to support consistent communication, clinical practice, research and regulation.
- Structure of terms:
- General: definitions of examination methods (e.g., abdominal examination, palpation) and core concepts (manifestation).
- Abdomen structure: clearly defined anatomical regions such as epigastric region, supra‑/infra‑umbilical, para‑umbilical, upper/lower abdomen and lateral zones.
- TCM abdominal manifestations: standardized terms for findings on palpation and inspection - e.g., tenderness, resistance, stuffiness, fullness, pulsation, tension, contracture, flaccid abdominal wall, spastic abdominal wall.
- Application of terms: clinically applied phrases such as epigastric stuffiness, pulsation in the supra‑umbilical region, tenderness and resistance in ileocecal region, and others - with cross‑references to historical TCM sources and functional notes.
- Informative annexes:
- Annex A: multilingual equivalents (Chinese characters/Pinyin, Japanese, Korean) for international use.
- Annex B: figures and keys showing abdominal landmarks and palpation sites.
- Administrative notes: no normative references; published as an ISO Technical Specification to harmonize terminology across languages and jurisdictions.
Applications and users
This standard is practical for:
- TCM clinicians and acupuncturists who require consistent diagnostic language for patient records and multidisciplinary care.
- Medical educators and curriculum developers creating training materials or exams in TCM abdominal diagnosis.
- Researchers performing clinical studies and meta‑analyses where precise, standardized terminology reduces ambiguity.
- Regulators and policy makers overseeing TCM practice, product labeling, and accreditation.
- Manufacturers of diagnostic devices, educational tools and software that reference abdominal diagnostic terms.
- Translators and interoperability specialists working across Chinese, Japanese, Korean and English medical content.
Related standards
- Part of the ISO 23961 series (Vocabulary for diagnostics in Traditional Chinese medicine). A complete listing of related parts and further details is available on the ISO website.
Keywords: ISO/TS 23961-3:2024, Traditional Chinese medicine, TCM, abdominal diagnosis, abdomen vocabulary, palpation, epigastric, umbilical, clinical manifestations, terminology standard.