M46.55

Billable

Other infective spondylopathies, thoracolumbar 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

An infection of the spine at the junction between the thoracic and lumbar regions, affecting the vertebral bodies and surrounding tissues.

Coding Tips

•Document whether this is osteomyelitis or discitis to support medical necessity
•Confirm imaging findings document involvement at the thoracolumbar junction specifically

Clinical Significance

Non-pyogenic infections at the thoracolumbar junction require specialized management due to the biomechanical importance of this spinal transition zone. These rare infections often occur in immunocompromised patients and may require prolonged treatment courses with specialized agents.

Documentation Requirements

✓Thoracolumbar junction location (T12-L1)
✓Non-bacterial infectious etiology
✓Imaging of transitional zone infection
✓Assessment of spinal stability at junction
✓Immunocompromised status if relevant
✓Organism identification through specialized testing
✓Response to targeted antimicrobial therapy
✓Functional outcome measures

Commonly Confused Codes

M46.35 — Pyogenic infection same location when bacterial M46.54 — Thoracic region when limited to thoracic levels M46.56 — Lumbar region when limited to lumbar levels M46.85 — Other inflammatory spondylopathies when non-infectious

Code Hierarchy

└M46Other inflammatory spondylopathies └M46.5Other infective spondylopathies └M46.55Other infective spondylopathies, thoracolumbar region

└M46.55Other infective spondylopathies, thoracolumbar region