M46.53

Billable

Other infective spondylopathies, cervicothoracic 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 region where the neck meets the upper back (cervicothoracic region).

Coding Tips

•Verify documentation indicates involvement at the cervicothoracic junction (C7-T1 region)
•This region is a transition zone; confirm the infection is not isolated to purely cervical or thoracic levels

Clinical Significance

Non-pyogenic infections at the cervicothoracic junction are rare but clinically significant due to the complex anatomy and potential for both cervical and thoracic complications. These conditions often require multidisciplinary management and prolonged specialized antimicrobial therapy.

Documentation Requirements

✓Cervicothoracic junction location (C7-T1 region)
✓Non-bacterial etiology confirmation
✓Imaging evidence of infection at junction
✓Assessment of both cervical and thoracic involvement
✓Immunocompromised status documentation
✓Specialized diagnostic test results
✓Response to targeted therapy
✓Functional assessment of transitional zone

Commonly Confused Codes

M46.33 — Pyogenic infection same location when bacterial M46.52 — Cervical region when limited to cervical spine M46.54 — Thoracic region when limited to thoracic spine M46.83 — Other inflammatory spondylopathies when non-infectious

Code Hierarchy

└M46Other inflammatory spondylopathies └M46.5Other infective spondylopathies └M46.53Other infective spondylopathies, cervicothoracic region

└M46.53Other infective spondylopathies, cervicothoracic region