G83.81

Billable

Brown-Séquard syndrome

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 254 — Monoplegia, Other Paralytic Syndromes

0.000

V24HCC 104 — Monoplegia, Other Paralytic Syndromes

0.304

ESRDHCC 104 — Monoplegia, Other Paralytic Syndromes

0.000

What This Code Means

A spinal cord injury pattern causing weakness or paralysis on one side of the body and loss of pain/temperature sensation on the opposite side.

Coding Tips

•Document the level of spinal cord involvement and which side is affected for complete coding
•Identify the underlying cause (trauma, tumor, infection) as it may require additional coding

Clinical Significance

Brown-Sequard syndrome is a distinctive spinal cord injury pattern resulting from hemisection of the spinal cord, producing ipsilateral motor paralysis and loss of proprioception with contralateral loss of pain and temperature sensation. This characteristic crossed pattern is clinically important for localizing the lesion and planning rehabilitation. Among incomplete spinal cord injuries, Brown-Sequard syndrome generally has the best prognosis for recovery of ambulation.

Documentation Requirements

✓Explicit documentation of Brown-Sequard syndrome
✓Description of the characteristic crossed neurological findings
✓Spinal cord level of the lesion
✓Underlying etiology (trauma, tumor, disc herniation, demyelination, vascular)
✓Motor and sensory examination findings on both sides
✓Functional status and ambulatory potential
✓Active treatment and rehabilitation plan

Commonly Confused Codes

G83.82 Anterior cord syndrome — different spinal cord injury pattern (bilateral motor loss with bilateral pain/temperature loss)G83.83 Posterior cord syndrome — different pattern (proprioceptive loss with preserved motor function)G81.00-G81.94 Hemiplegia codes — brain-level lesion, not spinal cord hemisection G83.89 Other specified paralytic syndromes — less specific; use G83.81 when Brown-Sequard is documented S14-S34 Spinal cord injury codes — use for the acute traumatic injury itself

Code Hierarchy

└G83Other paralytic syndromes └G83.8Other specified paralytic syndromes └G83.81Brown-Séquard syndrome

└G83.81Brown-Séquard syndrome