2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code L02.91

Cutaneous abscess, unspecified

ICD-10-CM Code:
L02.91
ICD-10 Code for:
Cutaneous abscess, unspecified
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Not chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
    (L00–L99)
    • Infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue
      (L00-L08)
      • Cutaneous abscess, furuncle and carbuncle
        (L02)

L02.91 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of cutaneous abscess, unspecified. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like L02.91 are acceptable when clinical information is unknown or not available about a particular condition. Although a more specific code is preferable, unspecified codes should be used when such codes most accurately reflect what is known about a patient's condition. Specific diagnosis codes should not be used if not supported by the patient's medical record.

Approximate Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

  • Abscess
  • Abscess at puncture site due to and following peripheral nerve block
  • Abscess gonococcal
  • Abscess of connective tissue
  • Abscess of skin and/or subcutaneous tissue
  • Abscess of skin with lymphangitis
  • Acute abscess of skin and/or subcutaneous tissue
  • Amebiasis of skin
  • Amebic abscess of skin
  • Corticosteroid sensitive aseptic abscess syndrome
  • Injection site abscess
  • Injection site abscess
  • Injection site mass
  • Multiple abscesses
  • Pyogenic abscess
  • Pyogenic abscess of skin caused by bacterium
  • Sepsis with cutaneous manifestations

Clinical Classification

Clinical Information

  • Abdominal Abscess

    an abscess located in the abdominal cavity, i.e., the cavity between the diaphragm above and the pelvis below. (from dorland, 27th ed)
  • Abscess

    accumulation of purulent material in tissues, organs, or circumscribed spaces, usually associated with signs of infection.
  • Amebiasis

    infection with any of various amebae. it is an asymptomatic carrier state in most individuals, but diseases ranging from chronic, mild diarrhea to fulminant dysentery may occur.
  • Brain Abscess

    a circumscribed collection of purulent exudate in the brain, due to bacterial and other infections. the majority are caused by spread of infected material from a focus of suppuration elsewhere in the body, notably the paranasal sinuses, middle ear (see ear, middle); heart (see also endocarditis, bacterial), and lung. penetrating craniocerebral trauma and neurosurgical procedures may also be associated with this condition. clinical manifestations include headache; seizures; focal neurologic deficits; and alterations of consciousness. (adams et al., principles of neurology, 6th ed, pp712-6)
  • Empyema, Subdural

    an intracranial or rarely intraspinal suppurative process invading the space between the inner surface of the dura mater and the outer surface of the arachnoid.
  • Epidural Abscess

    circumscribed collections of suppurative material occurring in the spinal or intracranial epidural space. the majority of epidural abscesses occur in the spinal canal and are associated with osteomyelitis of a vertebral body; analgesia, epidural; and other conditions. clinical manifestations include local and radicular pain, weakness, sensory loss, urinary incontinence, and fecal incontinence. cranial epidural abscesses are usually associated with osteomyelitis of a cranial bone, sinusitis, or otitis media. (from adams et al., principles of neurology, 6th ed, p710 and pp1240-1; j neurol neurosurg psychiatry 1998 aug;65(2):209-12)
  • Liver Abscess

    solitary or multiple collections of pus within the liver as a result of infection by bacteria, protozoa, or other agents.
  • Liver Abscess, Amebic

    single or multiple areas of pus due to infection by any ameboid protozoa (amebiasis). a common form is caused by the ingestion of entamoeba histolytica.
  • Liver Abscess, Pyogenic

    single or multiple areas of pus due to bacterial infection within the hepatic parenchyma. it can be caused by a variety of bacteria, local or disseminated from infections elsewhere such as in appendicitis; cholecystitis; peritonitis; and after liver transplantation.
  • Lung Abscess

    solitary or multiple collections of pus within the lung parenchyma as a result of infection by bacteria, protozoa, or other agents.
  • Periapical Abscess

    acute or chronic inflammation of tissues surrounding the apical portion of a tooth, associated with the collection of pus, resulting from infection following pulp infection through a carious lesion or as a result of an injury causing pulp necrosis. (dorland, 27th ed)
  • Periodontal Abscess

    localized circumscribed purulent area of inflammation in the periodontal tissue. it is a derivative of marginal periodontitis and commonly associated with suprabony and infrabony pockets and interradicular involvements, in contrast to periapical abscess which is attributable to pulp necrosis.
  • Peritonsillar Abscess

    an accumulation of purulent material in the area between the palatine tonsil and its capsule.
  • Psoas Abscess

    abscess of the psoas muscles resulting usually from disease of the lumbar vertebrae, with the pus descending into the muscle sheath. the infection is most commonly tuberculous or staphylococcal.
  • Retropharyngeal Abscess

    an accumulation of purulent material in the space between the pharynx and the cervical vertebrae. this usually results from suppuration of retropharyngeal lymph nodes in patients with upper respiratory tract infections, perforation of the pharynx, or head and neck injuries.
  • Subphrenic Abscess

    accumulation of purulent exudates beneath the diaphragm, also known as upper abdominal abscess. it is usually associated with peritonitis or postoperative infections.
  • Tuberculoma, Intracranial

    a well-circumscribed mass composed of tuberculous granulation tissue that may occur in the cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, brain stem, or perimeningeal spaces. multiple lesions are quite common. management of intracranial manifestations vary with lesion site. intracranial tuberculomas may be associated with seizures, focal neurologic deficits, and intracranial hypertension. spinal cord tuberculomas may be associated with localized or radicular pain, weakness, sensory loss, and incontinence. tuberculomas may arise as opportunistic infections, but also occur in immunocompetent individuals.
  • Palatine Tonsil

    a round-to-oval mass of lymphoid tissue embedded in the lateral wall of the pharynx. there is one on each side of the oropharynx in the fauces between the anterior and posterior pillars of the soft palate.
  • Psoas Muscles

    a powerful flexor of the thigh at the hip joint (psoas major) and a weak flexor of the trunk and lumbar spinal column (psoas minor). psoas is derived from the greek "psoa", the plural meaning "muscles of the loin". it is a common site of infection manifesting as abscess (psoas abscess). the psoas muscles and their fibers are also used frequently in experiments in muscle physiology.

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

The following annotation back-references for this diagnosis code are found in the injuries and diseases index. The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM code(s).

Convert L02.91 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: 682.9 - Cellulitis NOS
    Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means there is not an exact match between the ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes and the mapped code is not a precise representation of the original code.

Patient Education


Abscess

An abscess is a pocket of pus. You can get an abscess almost anywhere in your body. When an area of your body becomes infected, your body's immune system tries to fight the infection. White blood cells go to the infected area, collect within the damaged tissue, and cause inflammation. During this process, pus forms. Pus is a mixture of living and dead white blood cells, germs, and dead tissue.

Bacteria, viruses, parasites and swallowed objects can all lead to abscesses. Skin abscesses are easy to detect. They are red, raised and painful. Abscesses inside your body may not be obvious and can damage organs, including the brain, lungs and others. Treatments include drainage and antibiotics.


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Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.