2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code A18.01Tuberculosis of spine

ICD-10-CM CodesA00–B99A15-A19A18

ICD-10-CM A18.01
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

A18.01 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for tuberculosis of spine. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) and groups to MS-DRG 456 through 458, 539 through 541, 974 through 976. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Infective arthritis and Tuberculosis.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
A18.01
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Tuberculosis of spine
Short Description
Tuberculosis of spine
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
Tuberculosis of bones and joints

Code Classification

ChapterA00–B99Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
SectionA15-A19Tuberculosis
CategoryA18Tuberculosis of other organs
This CodeA18.01Tuberculosis of spine

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Infection of cervicothoracic region of spine caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Infection of multiple sites of spine caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Infection of musculoskeletal system caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Infection of sacrum
  • Infection of thoracic spine
  • Infection of thoracolumbar region of spine caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Pott's curvature
  • Secondary kyphosis
  • Tuberculosis of cervical spine
  • Tuberculosis of lumbar spine
  • Tuberculosis of lumbosacral spine
  • Tuberculosis of the bones of multiple sites
  • Tuberculosis of thoracic spine
  • Tuberculosis of vertebral column
  • Tuberculous abscess
  • Tuberculous abscess of sacrum
  • Tuberculous spinal cord compression
  • Vertebral abscess

Tabular List NotesGuidance

Coding notes and annotation back-references applicable to this code.

Inclusion Terms

  • Pott's disease or curvature of spine
  • Tuberculous arthritis
  • Tuberculous osteomyelitis of spine
  • Tuberculous spondylitis

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance

References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.

    • Abscess(connective tissue) (embolic) (fistulous) (infective) (metastatic) (multiple) (pernicious) (pyogenic) (septic)
      • bone (subperiosteal)
        • spinal (tuberculous)
    • Abscess(connective tissue) (embolic) (fistulous) (infective) (metastatic) (multiple) (pernicious) (pyogenic) (septic)
      • joint
        • spine (tuberculous)
    • Abscess(connective tissue) (embolic) (fistulous) (infective) (metastatic) (multiple) (pernicious) (pyogenic) (septic)
      • lumbar (tuberculous)
    • Abscess(connective tissue) (embolic) (fistulous) (infective) (metastatic) (multiple) (pernicious) (pyogenic) (septic)
      • sacrum (tuberculous)
    • Abscess(connective tissue) (embolic) (fistulous) (infective) (metastatic) (multiple) (pernicious) (pyogenic) (septic)
      • spine (column) (tuberculous)
    • Abscess(connective tissue) (embolic) (fistulous) (infective) (metastatic) (multiple) (pernicious) (pyogenic) (septic)
      • vertebra (column) (tuberculous)
    • Arthritis, arthritic(acute) (chronic) (nonpyogenic) (subacute)
      • spine
        • tuberculous
    • Arthritis, arthritic(acute) (chronic) (nonpyogenic) (subacute)
      • tuberculous
        • spine
    • Caries
      • sacrum (tuberculous)
    • Caries
      • spine, spinal (column) (tuberculous)
    • Caries
      • vertebra (column) (tuberculous)
    • Chondritis
      • tuberculous NEC
        • intervertebral
    • Curvature
      • Pott's (spinal)
    • Curvature
      • spine (acquired) (angular) (idiopathic) (incorrect) (postural)
        • due to or associated with
          • tuberculosis (Pott's curvature)
    • Curvature
      • spine (acquired) (angular) (idiopathic) (incorrect) (postural)
        • tuberculous
    • Disease, diseased
      • spine
        • tuberculous
    • Fistula(cutaneous)
      • lumbar, tuberculous
    • Granuloma
      • spine
        • tuberculous
    • Kyphoscoliosis, kyphoscoliotic(acquired)
      • tuberculous
    • Kyphosis, kyphotic(acquired)
      • tuberculous
    • Lordosis
      • tuberculous
    • Necrosis, necrotic(ischemic)
      • vertebra
        • tuberculous
    • Paraplegia(lower)
      • Pott's
    • Pott's
      • curvature (spinal)
    • Pott's
      • disease or paraplegia
    • Pott's
      • spinal curvature
    • Rust's disease(tuberculous cervical spondylitis)
    • Scoliosis(acquired) (postural)
      • tuberculous
    • Spondylitis(chronic)
      • in (due to)
        • tuberculosis
    • Spondylitis(chronic)
      • tuberculous
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • abscess (respiratory)
        • bone
          • sacrum
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • abscess (respiratory)
        • bone
          • spinal
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • abscess (respiratory)
        • bone
          • vertebra
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • abscess (respiratory)
        • joint NEC
          • vertebral
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • abscess (respiratory)
        • lumbar (spine)
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • abscess (respiratory)
        • sacrum
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • abscess (respiratory)
        • spine or vertebra (column)
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • arthritis (chronic) (synovial)
        • spine or vertebra (column)
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • bone
        • sacrum
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • bone
        • spine or vertebral column
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • cartilage
        • intervertebral
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • curvature, spine
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • joint
        • vertebral
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • kyphosis, kyphoscoliosis
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • lordosis
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • sacroiliac (joint)
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • sacrum
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • scoliosis
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • spine, spinal (column)
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • spondylitis
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • synovitis
        • spine or vertebra
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • tenosynovitis
        • spine or vertebra
    • Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous(calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative)
      • vertebra (column)
    • Ulcer, ulcerated, ulcerating, ulceration, ulcerative
      • spine (tuberculous)

Clinical ClassificationClinical

AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.

CCSR MUS001
Infective arthritis
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient No · outpatient No
CCSR INF001
Tuberculosis
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Clinical InformationClinical

  • Tuberculous Abscess

    an abscess resulting from infection by mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Patient EducationClinical

Spine Injuries and Disorders

Your backbone, or spine, is made up of 26 bone discs called vertebrae. The vertebrae protect your spinal cord and allow you to stand and bend. A number of problems can change the structure of the spine or damage the vertebrae and surrounding tissue. They include:

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Convert A18.01 to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
015.00 TB of vertebra-unspec
Approximate The match is approximate rather than exact.
ICD-9-CM
015.00 TB of vertebra-unspec
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.
ICD-9-CM
737.40 Spin curv NOS in oth dis
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.
ICD-9-CM
015.00 TB of vertebra-unspec
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.
ICD-9-CM
711.48 Bact arthritis NEC
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.
ICD-9-CM
015.00 TB of vertebra-unspec
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.
ICD-9-CM
730.88 Bone infect NEC-oth site
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.
ICD-9-CM
015.00 TB of vertebra-unspec
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.
ICD-9-CM
720.81 Spondylopathy in oth dis
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.
ICD-9-CM
015.00 TB of vertebra-unspec
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.
ICD-9-CM
737.42 Lordosis in oth dis
ApproximateCombination The match is approximate, and more than one code can be needed to describe the source diagnosis. Confirm with contextual judgment.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2025No changes
FY 2026CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About A18.01Overview

Is A18.01 (Tuberculosis of bones and joints) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report tuberculosis of spine on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

What MS-DRG does A18.01 group to?

When tuberculosis of spine is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 456, 457, 458, 539, 540, 541, 974, 975, 976, with relative weights from 0.7715 to 8.4034 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of A18.01?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, tuberculosis of spine converts to ICD-9-CM 015.00 (TB of vertebra-unspec), 015.00 (TB of vertebra-unspec), and 737.40 (spin curv NOS in oth dis). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.

Footnotes

[1] Chronic - a chronic condition code indicates a condition lasting 12 months or longer and its effect on the patient based on one or both of the following criteria:

  • The condition results in the need for ongoing intervention with medical products,treatment, services, and special equipment
  • The condition places limitations on self-care, independent living, and social interactions.