K83.01

Billable

Primary sclerosing cholangitis

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 68 — Cholangitis and Biliary Cirrhosis

0.000

What This Code Means

A chronic autoimmune disease where the bile ducts become inflamed and scarred, leading to progressive damage and potential liver failure.

Coding Tips

•This is a chronic condition often associated with inflammatory bowel disease; check for related IBD codes
•Document whether this is primary sclerosing cholangitis (K83.01) versus secondary sclerosing cholangitis (K83.09)

Clinical Significance

Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a progressive autoimmune disease causing inflammation and scarring of bile ducts, often leading to liver failure. This condition has strong association with inflammatory bowel disease and may require liver transplantation.

Documentation Requirements

✓Characteristic bile duct strictures and dilatations on cholangiography
✓Elevated alkaline phosphatase levels
✓Exclusion of secondary causes of sclerosing cholangitis
✓Clinical presentation with cholestasis and pruritus
✓Often associated with inflammatory bowel disease
✓Liver biopsy showing periductal fibrosis when performed
✓Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) findings
✓Progressive cholestatic liver disease

Commonly Confused Codes

K83.09 — Other cholangitis when specific PSC features not present K74.3 — Primary biliary cirrhosis affects small bile ducts K83.1 — Bile duct obstruction from stones or strictures K75.4 — Autoimmune hepatitis affects hepatocytes not bile ducts C22.1 — Bile duct carcinoma may complicate PSC

Code Hierarchy

└K83Other diseases of biliary tract └K83.0Cholangitis └K83.01Primary sclerosing cholangitis

└K83.01Primary sclerosing cholangitis