2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code M46.90

Unspecified inflammatory spondylopathy, site unspecified

ICD-10-CM Code:
M46.90
ICD-10 Code for:
Unspecified inflammatory spondylopathy, site unspecified
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Not chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue
    (M00–M99)
    • Spondylopathies
      (M45-M49)
      • Other inflammatory spondylopathies
        (M46)

M46.90 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of unspecified inflammatory spondylopathy, site 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 M46.90 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:

  • Arthritis of spine
  • Infection causing spondyloarthritis
  • Peripheral spondyloarthritis
  • Spondylitis
  • Undifferentiated spondylitis

Clinical Classification

Clinical Information

  • Spondylarthropathies

    heterogeneous group of arthritic diseases sharing clinical and radiologic features. they are associated with the hla-b27 antigen and some with a triggering infection. most involve the axial joints in the spine, particularly the sacroiliac joint, but can also involve asymmetric peripheral joints. subsets include ankylosing spondylitis; reactive arthritis; psoriatic arthritis; and others.
  • Spondylitis

    inflammation of the spine. this includes both arthritic and non-arthritic conditions.
  • Spondylitis, Ankylosing

    a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the axial joints, such as the sacroiliac joint and other intervertebral or costovertebral joints. it occurs predominantly in young males and is characterized by pain and stiffness of joints (ankylosis) with inflammation at tendon insertions.
  • Spine

    the spinal or vertebral column.
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis of Cervical Region|Ankylosing spondylitis of cervical region

    evidence of ankylosing spondylitis of cervical region.
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis of Cervicothoracic Region|Ankylosing spondylitis of cervicothoracic region

    evidence of ankylosing spondylitis of cervicothoracic region.
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis of Lumbar Region|Ankylosing spondylitis lumbar region

    evidence of ankylosing spondylitis of lumbar region.
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis of Lumbosacral Region|Ankylosing spondylitis of lumbosacral region

    evidence of ankylosing spondylitis of lumbosacral region.
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis of Multiple Sites in Spine|Ankylosing spondylitis of multiple sites in spine

    evidence of ankylosing spondylitis of multiple sites in spine.
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis of Occipito-Atlanto-Axial Region|Ankylosing spondylitis of occipito-atlanto-axial region

    evidence of ankylosing spondylitis of occipito-atlanto-axial region.
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis of Thoracic Region|Ankylosing spondylitis of thoracic region

    evidence of ankylosing spondylitis of thoracic region.
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis of Thoracolumbar Region|Ankylosing spondylitis of thoracolumbar region

    evidence of ankylosing spondylitis of thoracolumbar region.
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis Sacral and Sacrococcygeal Region|Ankylosing spondylitis sacral and sacrococcygeal region

    evidence of ankylosing spondylitis sacral and sacrococcygeal region.
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis|Ankylosing spondylitis of unspecified sites in spine

    an autoimmune chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by inflammation in the vertebral joints of the spine and sacroiliac joints. it predominantly affects young males. patients present with stiffness and pain in the spine.
  • Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index|BASDAI|BASDAI

    a clinical index used to assess the activity of ankylosing spondylitis that has been validated in adults.
  • Enteropathic Spondylitis|Enteropathic Spondyloarthritis

    a form of spondyloarthritis that is found in some patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
  • Juvenile Ankylosing Spondylitis|Juvenile ankylosing spondylitis

    ankylosing spondylitis occurring in children or adolescents.
  • Spondylitis

    the inflammation of a vertebra.
  • Spondyloarthritis|Seronegative Spondyloarthropathy|Spondylitis|Spondylitis|Spondyloarthropathy

    a group of inflammatory rheumatic diseases associated with arthritis and enthesitis, and often involving the axial skeleton. the most common form of spondyloarthritis is ankylosing spondylitis. other forms include axial spondyloarthritis, peripheral spondyloarthritis, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis/spondylitis and enteropathic arthritis/spondylitis.

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 M46.90 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: 720.9 - Inflam spondylopathy 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


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:

  • Infections
  • Injuries
  • Tumors
  • Conditions, such as ankylosing spondylitis and scoliosis
  • Bone changes that come with age, such as spinal stenosis and herniated disks

Spinal diseases often cause pain when bone changes put pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. They can also limit movement. Treatments differ by disease, but sometimes they include back braces and surgery.


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

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.