Urology Coding Alert

You don't need a dictionary to find the right UPJ ICD-9 code - just this handy guide

There are four different ways that the ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) can be obstructed, and each variation has its own treatment. But that doesn't mean you have to keep track of four different ICD-9 Codes.
 
Code ICD-9 753.21 (Congenital obstruction of ureteropelvic junction) describes each of these four variations, says Michael A. Ferragamo, MD, FACS, clinical assistant professor of urology at the State University of New York, Stony Brook:
 
Simple UPJ stricture: The UPJ has a stricture with no other complicated problems.
 
Ureteropelvic kinking: Fibrosis and inflammation are present in and around the ureter, causing a kink.
 
Aberrant vessels at UPJ: The various vessels associated with the UPJ - veins and arteries going to the kidney - are involved with the UPJ obstruction with fibrosis and inflammation.
 
High insertion of UPJ: The renal pelvic dilation and hydronephrosis pulls the UPJ toward the patient's head. This results in the appearance of a high insertion of the ureter and UPJ into the renal pelvis.