TTP

Abbreviation with 3 meanings

TTP
Stands forTender to palpation
Meanings3
CategoriesMedical, Technology & Computing

TTP has three meanings. The most common are Tender to palpation (patient assessment) and Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (hematology and oncology); it can also stand for Tactics, techniques and procedures.

Meanings of TTP at a glance

#TTP stands forContext
1Tender to palpationMedical › Patient Assessment
2Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpuraMedical › Hematology and Oncology
3Tactics, techniques and proceduresTechnology & Computing › Cybersecurity

1. Tender to palpation

Medical · Patient Assessment Abbreviations

Exam finding that pressing on an area causes pain, recorded with the exact location, such as the right lower quadrant or a specific joint line. It localizes injuries and inflammation.

Example: RLQ TTP with voluntary guarding, positive Rovsing sign.

Point tenderness over bone after trauma is used in decision rules such as the Ottawa ankle rules to decide on X-rays. In hematology TTP means thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a serious blood disorder, so context separates the two.

2. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

Medical · Hematology and Oncology Abbreviations

Life-threatening blood disorder caused by severe deficiency of ADAMTS13, the enzyme that trims von Willebrand factor, leading to platelet-rich clots in small vessels throughout the body. It presents with very low platelets, fragmented red cells and organ damage, often affecting the brain.

Example: Confusion, platelets 12,000, schistocytes, PLASMIC score 7: presumed TTP, urgent plasma exchange.

Untreated TTP was fatal in about 90 percent of cases, but emergency plasma exchange with immunosuppression has reduced mortality to roughly 10 to 20 percent. The anti-von Willebrand factor antibody caplacizumab was approved in 2019. The PLASMIC score estimates likelihood before ADAMTS13 results return. Eli Moschcowitz described the first case in 1924. In physical exams TTP can mean tender to palpation.

3. Tactics, techniques and procedures

Technology & Computing · Cybersecurity Abbreviations · also used in the military

The patterns of behavior that characterize a threat actor: its goals (tactics), the methods it uses to reach them (techniques) and its specific implementation details (procedures). Defenders profile and detect attackers by their TTPs.

Example: The intrusion matched the group's known TTPs, including scheduled tasks for persistence.

The phrase comes from military doctrine. MITRE ATT&CK catalogs real-world behavior and gives each technique an ID such as T1059, Command and Scripting Interpreter. Detections built on behavior stay useful far longer than lists of IP addresses, which attackers can swap cheaply.

More patient assessment abbreviations

  • T – Temperature
  • TA – Temporal artery temperature
  • Tmax – Maximum temperature
  • TPR – Temperature, pulse, respiration
  • UTA – Unable to assess
  • VAS – Visual analog scale
  • VS – Vital signs
  • VSS – Vital signs stable

See all 65 patient assessment abbreviations →

More hematology and oncology abbreviations

  • TMB – Tumor mutational burden
  • TNBC – Triple-negative breast cancer
  • TNM – Tumor, Node, Metastasis
  • TRALI – Transfusion-related acute lung injury
  • VRd – Velcade (bortezomib), Revlimid (lenalidomide), dexamethasone
  • VTE – Venous thromboembolism
  • VWD – Von Willebrand disease
  • WBRT – Whole-brain radiation therapy

See all 144 hematology and oncology abbreviations →

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.