G96.0
Header — not billableCerebrospinal fluid leak
The ICD-10 code for cerebrospinal fluid leak is G96.0.
G96.0 is a non-billable header code. It groups related conditions but cannot be used on its own for reimbursement — select one of the 5 more specific codes below.
Clinical notes
Code also
Two codes may be needed to fully describe a condition, but unlike Code First/Use Additional Code, the sequencing order is not mandated by convention.
- if applicable:
- intracranial hypotension (G96.81-)
Excludes1 (not coded here)
An Excludes1 note is a pure exclusion: the excluded condition and this code should never be reported together, because the two conditions cannot occur at the same time (e.g. a congenital form vs. an acquired form of the same disease).
- cerebrospinal fluid leak from spinal puncture (G97.0)
Documentation support
General coding-documentation guidance — not a substitute for payer-specific requirements or professional coding judgment.
- •This is a non-billable header code. Documentation must support a more specific child code before this diagnosis can be reported on a claim.
- •Confirm the excluded condition(s) listed above are not also present — Excludes1 conditions cannot be coded together with this one.
- •As a general rule, code to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation in the medical record.
Related codes in this category
ICD-9-CM equivalent
Informational only — GEM mappings are approximate, not guaranteed one-to-one equivalents. Verify before use in billing.
- 34981Approximate match
- 38861Approximate match