Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Question: Which diagnosis code describes sialoadenitis?

Alaska Subscriber

Answer: Sialoadenitis describes inflammation of the salivary glands due to obstruction of the gland or a duct. Four codes can help you report the condition.

To code this service, consider four K codes with 5th-digit characters to indicate whether the condition is acute, chronic, recurrent, or unspecified:

• K11.20 – Sialoadenitis, unspecified
• K11.21 – Acute sialoadenitis
• K11.22 – Acute recurrent sialoadenitis
• K11.23 – Chronic sialoadenitis.

Documentation: The physician will use information from the physical examination and various imaging tests to support a diagnosis of sialoadenitis. This condition presents most commonly with pain and swelling in the area of the affected salivary gland. Nonetheless, your physician’s notes must distinguish accurately between sialoadenitis and other causes of rapid facial swelling, such as an acute infection.

Coder tips: To test for sialoadenitis, the physician might decide to order an X-ray to help visualize and identify salivary stones (calculi). If the X-ray is not diagnostic, the doctor might inject radiopaque dye into the patient’s salivary gland duct (sialography). They might also use diagnostic ultrasound imaging. Report these tests as appropriate, with codes such as 70380 (Radiologic examination, salivary gland for calculus) or 70390 (Sialography, radiological supervision and interpretation).