I71.40

Billable

Abdominal aortic aneurysm, without rupture, unspecified

HCC Category Mapping

V24HCC 108 — Vascular Disease

0.297

ESRDHCC 108 — Vascular Disease

0.000

What This Code Means

A weakened, bulging area in the abdominal aorta that has not ruptured, where the specific location is not specified.

Coding Tips

•This is an unspecified code; use more specific codes (I71.41, I71.42, I71.43) when the exact location is documented
•Always attempt to identify and code the specific anatomical location for better clinical tracking and management

Clinical Significance

Abdominal aortic aneurysm without rupture (unspecified) is a potentially life-threatening condition involving pathological dilation of the abdominal aorta, most commonly in patients over 65 with a history of smoking, hypertension, and atherosclerotic disease. The primary risk is aneurysm rupture, which increases significantly with aneurysm diameter (5% annual rupture risk at 5.0-5.9 cm, increasing sharply above 6 cm). Patients require structured surveillance with serial imaging, cardiovascular risk factor modification, and surgical referral when size thresholds are met, driving ongoing healthcare utilization.

Documentation Requirements

✓Abdominal aortic aneurysm documented — location: unspecified
✓Non-ruptured status confirmed
✓Aneurysm diameter documented (current measurement and comparison to prior when available)
✓Imaging modality and findings (ultrasound, CT angiography, or MRI)
✓Relationship to renal arteries when documented (infrarenal, juxtarenal, pararenal — affects surgical approach)
✓Surveillance plan documented (imaging interval based on size)
✓Risk factor management (blood pressure control, smoking cessation, statin therapy)
✓Surgical repair threshold and referral status when approaching intervention criteria

Commonly Confused Codes

I71.30-I71.33 — Abdominal aortic aneurysm WITH rupture (ruptured carries dramatically higher acuity and different HCC mapping — HCC 107 vs. HCC 108)I71.20-I71.23 — Thoracic aortic aneurysm without rupture (different anatomical location)I71.02 — Dissection of abdominal aorta (dissection is a different pathology from aneurysm)I77.810-I77.812 — Aortic ectasia (mild dilation below aneurysm threshold — generally less than 3.0 cm for abdominal aorta)

Code Hierarchy

└I71Aortic aneurysm and dissection └I71.4Abdominal aortic aneurysm, without rupture └I71.40Abdominal aortic aneurysm, without rupture, unspecified

└I71.40Abdominal aortic aneurysm, without rupture, unspecified