M46.52

Billable

Other infective spondylopathies, cervical region

HCC Category Mapping

V24HCC 40 — Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Connective Tissue Disease

0.307

ESRDHCC 40 — Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Connective Tissue Disease

0.000

What This Code Means

Other types of spine infections affecting the neck region (cervical spine), excluding the very top of the neck.

Coding Tips

•Specify which cervical level (C3-C7) is involved if documented, though this code does not require that level of detail
•Distinguish between discitis (M46.4x) and other infective spondylopathies when assigning this code

Clinical Significance

Non-pyogenic cervical spine infections represent uncommon but serious conditions requiring specialized treatment protocols. These infections may be associated with immunocompromise and often require prolonged courses of specific antimicrobial agents beyond standard antibiotics.

Documentation Requirements

✓Cervical spine location specification
✓Non-bacterial infectious etiology confirmed
✓Organism identification through specialized testing
✓Immunocompromised status if present
✓Cervical spine MRI findings
✓Neurological function assessment
✓Treatment response to specific antimicrobials
✓Duration of therapy and monitoring

Commonly Confused Codes

M46.32 — Pyogenic cervical discitis when bacterial etiology M46.50 — Site unspecified when cervical location documented M46.82 — Other inflammatory spondylopathies when non-infectious B49 — Unspecified mycosis when fungal infection primary

Code Hierarchy

└M46Other inflammatory spondylopathies └M46.5Other infective spondylopathies └M46.52Other infective spondylopathies, cervical region

└M46.52Other infective spondylopathies, cervical region