Version 2024

2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code D38

Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of middle ear and respiratory and intrathoracic organs

ICD-10-CM Code:
D38
ICD-10 Code for:
Neoplm of uncrt behav of mid ear & resp and intrathorac org
Is Billable?
Not Valid for Submission
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Neoplasms
    (C00–D49)
    • Neoplasms of uncertain behavior, polycythemia vera and myelodysplastic syndromes
      (D37-D48)
      • Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of middle ear and respiratory and intrathoracic organs
        (D38)

D38 is a non-specific and non-billable diagnosis code code, consider using a code with a higher level of specificity for a diagnosis of neoplasm of uncertain behavior of middle ear and respiratory and intrathoracic organs. The code is not specific and is NOT valid for the year 2024 for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions. Category or Header define the heading of a category of codes that may be further subdivided by the use of 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th characters.

Specific Coding Applicable to Neoplm of uncrt behav of mid ear & resp and intrathorac org

Non-specific codes like D38 require more digits to indicate the appropriate level of specificity. Consider using any of the following ICD-10-CM codes with a higher level of specificity when coding for neoplm of uncrt behav of mid ear & resp and intrathorac org:

  • Use D38.0 for Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of larynx - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use D38.1 for Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of trachea, bronchus and lung - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use D38.2 for Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of pleura - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use D38.3 for Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of mediastinum - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use D38.4 for Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of thymus - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use D38.5 for Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of other respiratory organs - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use D38.6 for Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of respiratory organ, unspecified - BILLABLE CODE

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.


Type 1 Excludes

Type 1 Excludes
A type 1 excludes note is a pure excludes note. It means "NOT CODED HERE!" An Excludes1 note indicates that the code excluded should never be used at the same time as the code above the Excludes1 note. An Excludes1 is used when two conditions cannot occur together, such as a congenital form versus an acquired form of the same condition.
  • neoplasm of uncertain behavior of heart D48.7

Patient Education


Ear Disorders

Your ear has three main parts: outer, middle and inner. You use all of them in hearing. Sound waves come in through your outer ear. They reach your middle ear, where they make your eardrum vibrate. The vibrations are transmitted through three tiny bones, called ossicles, in your middle ear. The vibrations travel to your inner ear, a snail-shaped organ. The inner ear makes the nerve impulses that are sent to the brain. Your brain recognizes them as sounds. The inner ear also controls balance.

A variety of conditions may affect your hearing or balance:

  • Ear infections are the most common illness in infants and young children.
  • Tinnitus, a roaring in your ears, can be the result of loud noises, medicines or a variety of other causes.
  • Meniere's disease may be the result of fluid problems in your inner ear; its symptoms include tinnitus and dizziness.
  • Ear barotrauma is an injury to your ear because of changes in barometric (air) or water pressure.

Some ear disorders can result in hearing disorders and deafness.


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Lung Diseases

When you breathe, your lungs take in oxygen from the air and deliver it to the bloodstream. The cells in your body need oxygen to work and grow. During a normal day, you breathe nearly 25,000 times. People with lung disease have difficulty breathing. Millions of people in the U.S. have lung disease. If all types of lung disease are lumped together, it is the number three killer in the United States.

The term lung disease refers to many disorders affecting the lungs, such as asthma, COPD, infections like influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis, lung cancer, and many other breathing problems. Some lung diseases can lead to respiratory failure.

Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health


[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.