Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Ob-gyns commonly use the term "leiomyoma" to denote benign (noncancerous) tumors of the uterine muscle, but don't be confused if your physician uses a different term.

Although most doctors prefer "leiomyoma," other names that might appear in the ob-gyn's documentation or on the operative report include fibroid, myofibroma, leiomyofibroma, fibroleiomyoma or fibromyoma. The leiomyoma's location, however, determines how you code for them from a diagnostic perspective. Consequently, the physician should note the fibroid's location and size because each has a different ICD-9 code.

There are three general locations for fibroids:

Subserosal and intramural myomas are by far the most common type. Submucous myomas are much less common than the other two and are more likely to cause infertility or miscarriages due to their location inside the uterine cavity.