Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Tip: Beware submitting probable diagnoses. If you use 748.3 for all your 'other' congenital abnormalities of the trachea and bronchi for conditions not otherwise specified in ICD-9, then you should be prepared to encounter more specific 'other' codes in ICD-10. Most of them focus on the anatomical areas.Also referred to as congenital deformities of the upper airway, the current ICD-9 code includes:laryngomalacia -- a form of congenital laryngeal stridor characterized by flaccidity of the supraglottic structures; laryngeal cyst -- a mucus-filled dilatation of the laryngeal saccule which may distort the aryepiglottic fold, the false cord or the laryngeal ventricle; laryngocoele -- an air-filled dilatation of the ventricular sinus of Morgagni; laryngeal web or glottis; Cri-du-chat syndrome; vocal cord paralysis; subglottic stenosis; subglottic haemangioma; and laryngotracheal cleft.Abnormalities of the trachea and bronchi include agenesis, stenosis, tracheomalacia,  vascular compression, vascular ring, bronchial bifurcations, and anterior/posterior compression.Right now, if a patient suffers from any of the [...]