ICD-10-CM › S00-T88 › S10-S19 › S12.0 Fracture of first cervical vertebra › S12.02
Unstable burst fracture of first cervical vertebra
Not billableICD-10-CM diagnosis code.
This code exists but cannot be submitted on its own. It groups the more specific codes beneath it.
Submit one of these 6 more specific codes instead:
- S12.02XA Unstable burst fracture of first cervical vertebra, initial encounter for closed fracture
- S12.02XB Unstable burst fracture of first cervical vertebra, initial encounter for open fracture
- S12.02XD Unstable burst fracture of first cervical vertebra, subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing
- S12.02XG Unstable burst fracture of first cervical vertebra, subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing
- S12.02XK Unstable burst fracture of first cervical vertebra, subsequent encounter for fracture with nonunion
- S12.02XS Unstable burst fracture of first cervical vertebra, sequela
This code requires a seventh character. See the rule below.
What has happened to this code
Every change the publisher made, from 2014 to now. Entries marked draft are from the pre-implementation releases: ICD-10 took effect on 1 October 2015, so nothing before FY2016 was ever valid on a claim.
- FY2014 Added to the draft code set draft Unstable burst fracture of first cervical vertebra
Official coding rules
Published by CDC for FY2027. A rule attached to a category binds every code beneath it, so the rules inherited from this code's ancestors are shown with the code they come from.
Inherited from S12 Fracture of cervical vertebra and other parts of neck
Seventh character required
- The appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from subcategories S12.0-S12.6
Code first
- any associated cervical spinal cord injury (S14.0, S14.1-)
Includes
- fracture of cervical neural arch
- fracture of cervical spine
- fracture of cervical spinous process
- fracture of cervical transverse process
- fracture of cervical vertebral arch
- fracture of neck
Note
- A fracture not indicated as displaced or nondisplaced should be coded to displaced
- A fracture not indicated as open or closed should be coded to closed
Inherited from the S10-S19 section Injuries to the neck (S10-S19)
Excludes2 - not included here
- burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
- effects of foreign body in esophagus (T18.1)
- effects of foreign body in larynx (T17.3)
- effects of foreign body in pharynx (T17.2)
- effects of foreign body in trachea (T17.4)
- frostbite (T33-T34)
- insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
Includes
- injuries of nape
- injuries of supraclavicular region
- injuries of throat
How CDC's index refers to this code
Wording from the official alphabetic index. Much of it appears nowhere in the code description, which is why a search for the everyday phrase so often finds nothing.
- Fracture, traumatic > atlas
- Fracture, traumatic > cervical
- Fracture, traumatic > vertebra, vertebral > atlas
- Fracture, traumatic > vertebra, vertebral > cervical > first
- Fracture, traumatic > neck > cervical vertebra > first > burst > unstable
Codes in the same group
| Code | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| S12.00 | Unspecified fracture of first cervical vertebra | Not billable |
| S12.01 | Stable burst fracture of first cervical vertebra | Not billable |
| S12.03 | Posterior arch fracture of first cervical vertebra | Not billable |
| S12.04 | Lateral mass fracture of first cervical vertebra | Not billable |
| S12.09 | Other fracture of first cervical vertebra | Not billable |