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Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

ICD-9 Provides Dural Tear Dx

Published on Mon Jul 14, 2008

Question: What is the ICD-9 Code for a dural tear that occurs during surgery? Tennessee Subscriber Answer: You should look to 998.2 (Accidental puncture or laceration during a procedure) to describe a dural tear that occurs during surgery. Such tears can be common during spinal surgery, especially for re-explorations. Remember also that you may report associated conditions, such as osteophytes (721.8), intervertebral disc disorders (722.0-722.93), kyphosis or scoliosis (737.10-737.9), spondylosis (721.0-721.91), stenosis (723.0, 724.00-724.09) and others. -- Technical and coding guidance for You Be the Coder and Reader Questions provided by Gregory Przybylski, MD, director of neurosurgery at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, JFK Medical Center in Edison.
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