2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code G96.00

Cerebrospinal fluid leak, unspecified

ICD-10-CM Code:
G96.00
ICD-10 Code for:
Cerebrospinal fluid leak, unspecified
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Not chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Diseases of the nervous system
    (G00–G99)
    • Other disorders of the nervous system
      (G89-G99)
      • Other disorders of central nervous system
        (G96)

G96.00 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid leak, 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 G96.00 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:

  • Cerebrospinal fluid leak
  • Cerebrospinal fluid leak from mouth
  • Cerebrospinal fluid leak from nose and mouth
  • Cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea
  • Cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea
  • Cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea
  • Cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea
  • Cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea
  • Cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea
  • Cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea
  • Cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea due to congenital deformity of labyrinth
  • Cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea due to encephalocele
  • Cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea due to giant arachnoid granulation
  • Cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea due to otitis media
  • Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea
  • Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea
  • Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea
  • Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea
  • Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea due to empty sella syndrome
  • Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea due to hydrocephalus
  • Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea due to pituitary tumor
  • Postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak
  • Postoperative cerebrospinal otorrhea
  • Post-traumatic cerebrospinal otorrhea
  • Subdural hygroma

Clinical Classification

Clinical Information

  • Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak

    discharge of cerebrospinal fluid through a hole through the skull bone most commonly draining from the nose (cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea) or the ear (cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea).
  • Subdural Effusion

    leakage and accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the subdural space which may be associated with an infectious process; craniocerebral trauma; brain neoplasms; intracranial hypotension; and other conditions.
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid Otorrhea

    discharge of cerebrospinal fluid through the external auditory meatus or through the eustachian tube into the nasopharynx. this is usually associated with craniocerebral trauma (e.g., skull fracture involving the temporal bone;), neurosurgical procedures; or other conditions, but may rarely occur spontaneously. (from am j otol 1995 nov;16(6):765-71)
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea

    discharge of cerebrospinal fluid through the nose. common etiologies include trauma, neoplasms, and prior surgery, although the condition may occur spontaneously. (otolaryngol head neck surg 1997 apr;116(4):442-9)
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid Otorrhea

    discharge of cerebrospinal fluid through the ear structures.
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea

    discharge of cerebrospinal fluid through the nose.

Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries

The following annotation back-references are applicable to this diagnosis code. The Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries is a list of ICD-10-CM codes, organized "head to toe" into chapters and sections with coding notes and guidance for inclusions, exclusions, descriptions and more.


Code Also

Code Also
A "code also" note instructs that two codes may be required to fully describe a condition, but this note does not provide sequencing direction.
  • if applicable:
  • head injury S00 S09

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).

Replacement Code

G9600 replaces the following previously assigned ICD-10-CM code(s):

  • G96.0 - Cerebrospinal fluid leak

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 - Code Added, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021

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.