Neurosurgery Coding Alert

You have a one-to-one match with ICD-9 codes.

For intracranial and intraspinal abscess coding in ICD-10, you’ll just need to note that the  abscess codes also apply to granulomas.

Map the Codes In ICD-9 And ICD-10

When reporting an intracranial abscess in ICD-9, you use diagnosis code 324.0 (Intracranial abscess). This code applies to an embolic abscess in both the cerebrum and cerebellum. The abscess may be in any location, i.e., epidural, extradural, otogenic, or subdural. The corresponding ICD-10 code is G06.0 (Intracranial abscess and granuloma).

Similarly, for an embolic intraspinal abscess in any part of the spinal cord (epidural, extradural, or subdural), you report ICD-9 code 324.1 (Intraspinal abscess). The corresponding ICD-10 code is G06.1 (Intraspinal abscess and granuloma).

How is ICD-10 different? The evident difference in the ICD-10 codes for intracranial and intraspinal abscess is the inclusion of the term ‘granuloma’ in the descriptors. Hence, you also report these codes for granulomas in the cranium and spine regardless of the location of the granuloma.  “The diagnosis of granuloma is comparatively less frequent, but can represent the later stage of a previous non-pyogenic infection,” says Gregory Przybylski, MD, director of neurosurgery, New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, JFK Medical Center, Edison.

Note: These codes are not inclusive of tuberculous intracranial and intraspinal abscess.

Editor’s note: Look for instruction on tuberculous intracranial and intraspinal abscess diagnosis coding in the next issue of Neurosurgery Coding Alert, Vol 14 n4.