Gastroenterology Coding Alert

Question: Our gastroenterologist recently diagnosed a patient with angiodysplasia. Can you let me know how I should report the diagnosis for the condition?

Kansas Subscriber

Answer: Angiodysplasia is a type of vascular malformation of blood vessels that supply the gastrointestinal system. The angiodysplastic lesions are usually multiple in numbers and cause bleeding. Due to the bleeding, the patient usually suffers from anemia. The occurrence of angiodysplasia is more common in the large intestine (mostly in the area of the ascending colon or the cecum) although they can be found anywhere else in the GI tract, including the stomach.

A Dieulafoy's lesion is another common term used for a specific type of angiodysplasia that occurs in the stomach wall. It is difficult to identify unless it is actively bleeding.

You have not mentioned the location in which your gastroenterologist located the angiodysplasia. You have also not mentioned the presence or absence of hemorrhage in the lesion. These two factors are important in reporting the diagnosis for the condition.

Depending on the location of the angiodysplasia and the presence or absence of hemorrhage, you can use the following codes to report the diagnosis of the condition in the GI tract:

• 537.82 -- Angiodysplasia of stomach and duodenum (without hemorrhage)
• 537.83 -- Angiodysplasia of stomach and duodenum with hemorrhage
• 569.84 -- Angiodysplasia of intestine (without hemorrhage)
• 569.85 -- Angiodysplasia of intestine with hemorrhage