Other deforming dorsopathies
Other deforming dorsopathies
M43 is a header (parent) code in the ICD-10-CM hierarchy. It is not billable for claim submission. Use one of the billable child codes listed below.
Billable codes in this category
Each of the codes below is billable. Choose the one that most accurately describes the patient's diagnosis.
Recurrent instability of the atlantoaxial joint (C1–C2) that has produced spinal cord compression or injury, resulting in myelopathy — documented as a recurring pattern, not a single acute event.
Recurrent dislocation at the atlantoaxial joint (C1-C2) that does not fall under the rotatory dislocation category coded at M43.3 — a non-traumatic, repeat instability pattern at the craniocervical junction.
M43.6 classifies acquired torticollis (wryneck) — a musculoskeletal condition in which involuntary cervical muscle contractions cause the head to tilt to one side and the chin to rotate toward the opposite side. It covers acquired presentations not attributable to a more specific etiology.
M43.9 identifies an acquired spinal deformity — abnormal bending or curvature of the vertebral column — when documentation does not specify the type (kyphosis, lordosis, or scoliosis) or the spinal region affected.
Inclusion & exclusion notes
Excludes 1 (mutually exclusive — never code together)
- congenital spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis (Q76.2)
- hemivertebra (Q76.3-Q76.4)
- Klippel-Feil syndrome (Q76.1)
- lumbarization and sacralization (Q76.4)
- platyspondylisis (Q76.4)
- spina bifida occulta (Q76.0)
- spinal curvature in osteoporosis (M80.-)
- spinal curvature in Paget's disease of bone [osteitis deformans] (M88.-)