Radiology Coding Alert

Question: Is N89.8 the best ICD-10 code to report for leukorrhea?

Utah Subscriber

Answer: Yes, you should turn to code N89.8 (Other specified noninflammatory disorders of vagina) when the provider documents leukorrhea. If your provider documents leukorrhea not otherwise specified (NOS), you’ll still turn to N89.8 because this term appears as an explanatory term under N89.8.

Background:  If a patient has leukorrhea, she has whitish, yellowish, or greenish discharge from the vagina. The discharge can be normal or the sign of an infection.

Here’s how you will arrive at these codes from the Alphabetic Index (specific to vaginal discharge):

Discharge (from)

- vaginal N89.8

Leukorrhea N89.8

Coder tips: Underneath the N89- category, you will find an Excludes1 note that forbids you from reporting codes in this category with abnormal results from vaginal cytologic examination without histologic confirmation (R87.62-), carcinoma in situ of vagina (D07.2); HGSIL of vagina (R87.623); inflammation of vagina (N76-), senile (atrophic) vaginitis (N95.2); severe dysplasia of vagina (D07.2); trichomonal leukorrhea (A59.00); and vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia [VAIN], grade III (D07.2).

Under N89.8 itself, you’ll see another Excludes1 note that forbids you from reporting this code with current obstetric trauma (O70-, O71.4, O71.7, O71.8) or an old laceration involving muscles of pelvic floor (N81.8).