2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code N48.21Abscess of corpus cavernosum and penis
ICD-10-CM Codes›N00–N99›N40-N53›N48
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- Not Chronic
N48.21 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for abscess of corpus cavernosum and penis. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 727 through 728. Coders also document this condition as abscess of corpus cavernosum. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Inflammatory conditions of male genital organs.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Abscess of corpus cavernosum
- Abscess of penis
- Boil of penis
- Carbuncle of corpus cavernosum
- Carbuncle of penis
- Carbuncle of perineum
- Cavernitis of penis
- Furuncle of male genital
Instructional NotesGuidance
Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to N48.21: its own notes plus those printed at N48.2 and Chapter 14. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Excludes1
Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
Excludes2
Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
Use Additional Code
Add a second code, after this one, to fully describe the condition.
Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.
Referenced in Other NotesGuidance
Instructional notes printed at other codes that name N48.21, its category, or a range that includes it.
Excludes1 1
These codes carry an Excludes1 note naming N48.21: they are not reported together with it, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
Excludes2 5
These codes carry an Excludes2 note naming N48.21: its condition is not part of those codes, and both may be reported when the patient has both.
- L02 Cutaneous abscess, furuncle and carbuncleabscess of male genital organs (external) (N48.2, N49.-) names N48.2, which includes this code
- L02.2 Cutaneous abscess, furuncle and carbuncle of trunkabscess of male external genital organs (N48.2, N49.-) names N48.2, which includes this code
- L03 Cellulitis and acute lymphangitiscellulitis of male external genital organs (N48.2, N49.-) names N48.2, which includes this code
- L03.31 Cellulitis of trunkcellulitis of male external genital organs (N48.2, N49.-) names N48.2, which includes this code
- Block R10-R19 Symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
Abscess (connective tissue) (embolic) (fistulous) (infective) (metastatic) (multiple) (pernicious) (pyogenic) (septic) L02.91
cavernosum N48.21
parafrenal N48.21
penis N48.21
corpus cavernosum N48.21
penis N48.21
Disease, diseased See Also: Syndrome;
abscess N48.21
Disorder (of) See Also: Disease;
corpus cavernosum N48.21
penis N48.21
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Patient EducationClinical
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.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert N48.21 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About N48.21Overview
What is the ICD-10 code for abscess of corpus cavernosum and penis?
The ICD-10-CM code for abscess of corpus cavernosum and penis is N48.21 (sometimes written as N4821). It is billable on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Is N48.21 (Other inflammatory disorders of penis) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report abscess of corpus cavernosum and penis on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What MS-DRG does N48.21 group to?
When abscess of corpus cavernosum and penis is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 727, 728, with relative weights from 0.8220 to 1.3694 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Can N48.21 be reported with N48.1?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at N48.2, which applies to N48.21, lists "balanitis (N48.1)". An Excludes1 note means the excluded code is never reported together with this one; the only exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other (Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
