Skip Navigation Bar
National Library of Medicine Technical BulletinNational Library of Medicine Technical Bulletin

Table of Contents: 2022 JULY–AUGUST No. 447

Previous Next


New Features in the UMLS Terminology Services

New Features in the UMLS Terminology Services. NLM Tech Bull. 2022 Jul-Aug;(447):e3.

2022 August 24 [posted]

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is pleased to announce two new UMLS Terminology Services features:

  • Create and download lists of concepts or codes
  • Search and browse hierarchies for specific UMLS source vocabularies

Create and download lists of concepts or codes

Users can create, save, and download lists of UMLS concepts or codes from UMLS Terminology Services. To access your lists, look for the "My Lists" button at the top of the page within the blue banner (Figure 1).

Screenshot of UTS code list with My Lists button circled
Figure 1: UTS code list with My Lists circled


To add a concept or code to a list, click on theadd list iconicon next to the concept or code that you want to add to a list (Figure 2). In the pop-up box, type in the name of your new list or select the list you want. The concept or code will be added to your list. Follow the link to check out the concept “Diabetes Mellitus” in the UMLS Metathesaurus Browser and test out adding a concept to a list.

Search results with Add to List icon circled
Figure 2: Search results with Add to List icon circled

Search and browse hierarchies for specific UMLS source vocabularies

Users can now search and browse hierarchies for UMLS vocabularies from the UMLS Metathesaurus Browser.

Search results for 'HIV' in SNOMED CT US Edition hierarchies
Figure 3: Search results for "HIV" in SNOMED CT, US Edition hierarchy

For example, Figure 3 displays a search for "HIV" in the SNOMED CT, US Edition hierarchy, which is selected on the left. The resulting hierarchy in the middle of the page can be expanded and contracted by selecting the + and - symbols. Bolded text indicates where your search term appears in the hierarchy. Select a term, such as "Blood vessel finding" in Figure 3, and more information will appear on the right-hand panel. You can find additional hierarchical information on a page for a specific code.

If you have questions, please contact us through the NLM Customer Service form.

NLM Technical Bulletin National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health