2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code P78.0Perinatal intestinal perforation

ICD-10-CM Codes›P00–P96›P76-P78›P78

ICD-10-CM P78.0
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

P78.0 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for perinatal intestinal perforation. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026). In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Neonatal digestive and feeding disorders.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
P78.0
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Perinatal intestinal perforation
Short Description
Perinatal intestinal perforation
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Parent Code
P78
Other perinatal digestive system disorders

Code Classification

ChapterP00–P96Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period
SectionP76-P78Digestive system disorders of newborn
CategoryP78Other perinatal digestive system disorders
This CodeP78.0Perinatal intestinal perforation

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Delayed perforation of colon
  • Fecal peritonitis
  • Fetal gastrointestinal abnormality
  • Gastrointestinal perforation
  • Inflammatory perforation of small intestine
  • Injury of sigmoid colon
  • Injury of transverse colon
  • Meconium ileus
  • Meconium peritonitis
  • Neonatal intestinal perforation co-occurrent and due to intestinal atresia
  • Neonatal intestinal perforation due to in utero intestinal volvulus
  • Neonatal intestinal perforation with in utero intraluminal obstruction
  • Neonatal isolated ileal perforation
  • Neonatal obstruction of intestine
  • Neonatal perforation of intestine caused by drug
  • Neonatal perforation of intestine due to congenital stenosis of intestine
  • Neonatal peritonitis
  • Nontraumatic perforation of large intestine
  • Nontraumatic perforation of small intestine
  • Perforated ulcer of intestine
  • Perforation of colon
  • Perforation of ileum
  • Perforation of intestine
  • Perforation of intestine co-occurrent and due to meconium ileus
  • Perforation of jejunum
  • Perforation of sigmoid colon
  • Perforation of small intestine
  • Perforation of terminal ileum
  • Perforation of transverse colon
  • Perinatal intestinal obstruction
  • Perinatal intestinal perforation
  • Rupture of colon
  • Rupture of ileum
  • Rupture of intestine
  • Rupture of jejunum
  • Rupture of rectum
  • Rupture of small intestine
  • Spontaneous perforation of large intestine
  • Traumatic perforation of large intestine

Tabular List NotesGuidance

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

Inclusion Terms

  • Meconium peritonitis

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.

    • Meconium
      • peritonitis
    • Newborn(infant) (liveborn) (singleton)
      • affected by
        • intestinal perforation
    • Newborn(infant) (liveborn) (singleton)
      • affected by
        • meconium peritonitis
    • Perforation, perforated(nontraumatic) (of)
      • bowel
        • newborn
    • Perforation, perforated(nontraumatic) (of)
      • colon
        • newborn
    • Perforation, perforated(nontraumatic) (of)
      • ileum
        • newborn
    • Perforation, perforated(nontraumatic) (of)
      • intestine NEC
        • newborn
    • Perforation, perforated(nontraumatic) (of)
      • intestine NEC
        • ulcerative NEC
          • newborn
    • Perforation, perforated(nontraumatic) (of)
      • rectum
        • newborn
    • Perforation, perforated(nontraumatic) (of)
      • sigmoid
        • newborn
    • Peritonitis(adhesive) (bacterial) (fibrinous) (hemorrhagic) (idiopathic) (localized) (perforative) (primary) (with adhesions) (with effusion)
      • meconium (newborn)
    • Peritonitis(adhesive) (bacterial) (fibrinous) (hemorrhagic) (idiopathic) (localized) (perforative) (primary) (with adhesions) (with effusion)
      • neonatal
        • meconium
    • Ulcer, ulcerated, ulcerating, ulceration, ulcerative
      • intestine, intestinal
        • perforating
          • newborn

Clinical ClassificationClinical

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

CCSR PNL012
Neonatal digestive and feeding disorders
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Clinical InformationClinical

  • Meconium Ileus

    intestinal obstruction caused by congealed meconium in the distal ileum and cecum. it presents shortly after birth as a failure to pass meconium and frequently occurs in infants with cystic fibrosis.

  • Cystic Fibrosis with Meconium Ileus

    a congenital metabolic detected in the neonatal period that is characterized by the presence of a meconium ileus. the disease affects the exocrine glands andis inherited as an autosomal trait. the secretions of exocrine glands are abnormal, resulting in excessively viscid mucus production which causes obstruction of passageways (including pancreatic and bile ducts, intestines, and bronchi). the sweat sodium and chloride content are increased. symptoms usually appear in childhood and include meconium ileus, poor growth despite good appetite, malabsorption and foul bulky stools, chronic bronchitis with cough, recurrent pneumonia, bronchiectasis, emphysema, clubbing of the fingers, and salt depletion in hot weather.

  • Meconium Ileus

    small intestinal obstruction that results from the impaction of thick meconium in the distal small intestine.

  • Meconium Peritonitis

    inflammation of the peritoneum caused by an intrauterine intestinal perforation leading to presence of meconium within the fetal peritoneal cavity. this is frequently seen as intra-abdominal calcifications on imaging.

Patient EducationClinical

Colonic Diseases

Your colon, also known as the large intestine, is part of your digestive system. It's a long, hollow tube at the end of your digestive tract where your body makes and stores stool. Many disorders affect the colon's ability to work properly. Some of these include:

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

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

Convert P78.0 to ICD-9-CMHistory

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

ICD-9-CM
777.6 Perinatal intest perfor
Exact Match The mapping is direct, with no qualifiers.

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 P78.0Overview

Is P78.0 (Other perinatal digestive system disorders) a billable code?

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

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of P78.0?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, perinatal intestinal perforation converts to ICD-9-CM 777.6 (perinatal intest perfor). The mapping is a direct match.

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.