AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-9 - 2001 Fourth Quarter; VOLUME 3 NEW/REVISED PROCEDURE CODES

Spinal Fusion for Pseudarthrosis

Pseudarthrosis is defined as failure of union to develop in fusion bone. The goal of spinal fusion procedures is to obtain a solid bone between two or more levels of the spine. When one never completely grows across the area of intended spinal fusion, it is called nonunion or pseudarthrosis. Symptoms may not occur until months or years after the original spinal fusion. An estimated 50% of patients with pseudarthrosis have no symptoms. Patients can often function relatively normally with pseudarthrosis unless problems develop such as sharp localized pain and tenderness over the fusion, progression of deformity or disease...

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