Lumbar Fusion ICD-10-CM Codes | 2023
Read this short guide to learn about Lumbar Fusion ICD codes you can use.
Fact Checked by RJ Gumban.
What Lumbar Fusion ICD-10 codes can I use?
If you’re looking for Lumbar Fusion ICD codes, you must first clarify what you’re looking for.
You can interpret Lumbar Fusion in two ways. The first is fusion surgery of the lumbar spine, and the other is the disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis, characterized by inflammations on the spine's bones, leading to fusion.
If you’re going for the former, the appropriate ICD-10 code is Z98.1 - Arthrodesis status. This is meant to be used on a patient confirmed to have had Arthrodesis, the term for joint fusion. Spinal fusion surgery is a type of Arthrodesis. If your patient undergoes lumbar fusion surgery or has a history of lumbar fusion surgery, you can use this ICD-10 code.
This ICD-10 code is unacceptable as a principal diagnosis because Arthrodesis is a procedure, not a medical problem. It’s just meant to explain that a patient has undergone Arthrodesis.
If you’re going for the latter, the appropriate ICD-10 code is M43.26 - Fusion of spine, lumbar region. This ICD-10 code is meant for patients confirmed to have lumbar spine ankylosis or lumbar spine ankylosing spondylitis.
Usually, ICD-10 codes for ankylosis have specific ICD-10 codes that mention Ankylosis in their names, but for spinal cases, they go by Fusion of the spine, [specific spinal region].
Are both of these Lumbar Fusion ICD-10 codes billable?
Yes. Both ICD-10 codes for Lumbar Fusion are valid and billable.
Clinical information about Lumbar Fusion:
As mentioned earlier, Lumbar Fusion can be interpreted in two ways.
Suppose you’re using the term Lumbar Fusion to refer to the surgical procedure of fusing the lumbar spine. In that case, you’re referring to the surgical procedure known as spinal fusion, which is a type of Arthrodesis (the surgical procedure of fusing joints).
Lumbar spinal fusion entails the fusion of lumbar vertebrae to ensure they can’t move independently. The vertebrae are a group of 33 bones that interlock with each other to form the spinal column. These are the joints of the spine.
Suppose you’re using the term Lumbar Fusion to refer to the disease that fuses vertebrae; then you’re referring to Ankylosing Spondylitis. This is a type of Arthritis that is characterized by the inflammation of the spine’s joints and ligaments. If not addressed as soon as possible, it can lead to the fusion of the vertebrae. In the case of this guide, that would be the lumbar vertebrae.
Synonyms include:
- History of lumbar fusion
- Lumbar fusion surgery
- Lumbar fusion operation
- Operative procedure on lumbar spine
- History of spinal fusion
- Lumbar spinal fusion
- Lumbar spine ankylosis
- Ankylosing spondylitis of the lumbar spine
- Lumbar fusion ICD 10
- ICD 10 lumbar fusion
- ICD 10 code for lumbar fusion
- History of lumbar fusion ICD 10
- Status post lumbar fusion ICD 10
Commonly asked questions
It entails the removal of damaged discs or bone material between the affected vertebrae. Surgeons will replace them and fuse the affected vertebrae using implants and bone grafts.
Yes. Like any surgery, lumbar fusion surgery has risks, and healthcare professionals inform their patients about them before scheduling the procedure. In the case of lumbar fusion surgery, hazards include infections, nerve damage, bleeding, fusion failure, and misplacement of grafts.
Lower back pain and stiffness. These may limit back movement.
