ICD 10 Coding Alert

You Be the Coder:

Know the Difference in Types of Salter-Harris Fractures

Question: What ICD-10 code should I report for a Salter- Harris physeal fracture in a patient’s lower left fibula?

Minnesota Subscriber

Answer: It depends on the type of Salter-Harris fracture your provider treated. You’ll choose one of the following codes, based on fracture type:

  • S89.312- (Salter-Harris Type I physeal fracture of lower end of left fibula)
  • S89.322- (Salter-Harris Type II physeal fracture of lower end of left fibula)

Differences: While there are five types of Salter-Harris fractures, there are only specific ICD-10 codes for types I and II in the lower fibula. A type I (slipped) fracture occurs “when the fracture line extends through the physis or within the growth plate,” according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Type II (above) fractures occur “when the fracture extends through both the physis and metaphysis,” NCBI relays

If you cannot deduce whether it is a type I or II Salter-Harris fracture in this instance, opt for S89.82X- (Other specified injuries of left lower leg) or S89.92X- (Unspecified injury of left lower leg).