Know Your Abortion Terminology
Published on Fri Sep 19, 2003
With so many different types of abortion, knowing the medical terminology is essential to coding related services based on your ob-gyn's documentation. By being familiar with these common types of abortions, you take the first step to assigning the correct ICD-9 and CPT codes:
Complete - The complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a fetus or embryo; complete expulsion from the uterus of any other product of conception (for example, blighted ovum).
Elective - Without medical justification but performed in a legal way.
Incomplete - Part of the products of conception have been passed, but part (usually the placenta) remains in the uterus.
Induced - Expulsion of the fetus and products of conception brought on purposefully by drugs or mechanical means.
Inevitable - Characterized by rupture of the membranes in the presence of cervical dilation in a previable pregnancy.
Missed - Death of the fetus in utero prior to 22 weeks, with retention of the products of conception
Septic - An infectious abortion complicated by fever, endometriosis or parametritis.
Spontaneous - An abortion that has not been induced artificially. This term is usually limited to pregnancies of less than 22 weeks gestation.
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
