Using hyphens with metric unit expressions

   MT Reference Style Guide  >  Medical Transcription Grammar, Usage and Style  >  Measurements and Quantities  >  Metric units and metric units of measure  >  Using hyphens with metric unit expressions

Do not use a hyphen to form a compound modifier between a numeric value and its metric unit.

The patient had a 3 cm scar on the RUQ.
NOT
The patient had a 3-cm scar on the RUQ.

A 3 x 3 cm cyst was excised.
NOT
A 3 x 3-cm cyst was excised.
AND NOT
A 3-x-3-cm cyst was excised.

NOTE: The AHDI Book of Style differs from the AMA Manual of Style on this. The AMA Manual of Style specifies use of a hyphen to join a unit of measure and the number associated with it when the combination is used as an adjective. The AHDI Book of Style cites the National Institute for Science and Technology.

We filled a 2-L cannister with water.
A 10-mm strip was applied.