Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Question: A patient had a mastoidectomy. He comes to the clinic for debridement of the mastoidectomy cavity every three to six months. What ICD-9 code do I use for the debris that is removed?

Nebraska Subscriber

Answer: Although you'll find several diagnosis codes that you can use for 69220 (Debridement, mastoidectomy cavity, simple [e.g., routine cleaning]),code 383.33 (Granulations of postmastoidectomy cavity) is most commonly associated with granuloma or debris in the mastoid.

Another way: Other possibilities include 383.89 (Other disorders of mastoid), when granuloma documentation is not specific enough for 383.33. ICD-9 also offers 383.32 (Recurrent cholesteatoma of postmastoidectomy cavity).