S04

Header — not billable

Injury of cranial nerve

The ICD-10 code for injury of cranial nerve is S04.

S04 is a non-billable header code. It groups related conditions but cannot be used on its own for reimbursement — select one of the 10 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.

any associated:
open wound of head (S01.-)
skull fracture (S02.-)

Code first

This code represents a manifestation of an underlying disease. Coding convention requires the underlying (etiology) code to be sequenced first, with this code listed second.

any associated intracranial injury (S06.-)

Also known as

Alternate wording, synonyms, or specific conditions that fall under this code, listed to help confirm you've picked the right one.

The selection of side should be based on the side of the body being affected

7th character definitions

These definitions specify what each valid 7th-character value means for codes in this category.

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7th character note

This category requires a 7th character to indicate additional clinical detail (e.g. encounter type: initial, subsequent, sequela). The code is incomplete without it.

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S04

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.
•This code represents a manifestation. Documentation should identify the underlying condition, which must be coded first.
•This category requires a 7th character. Documentation should clearly indicate the episode of care (initial encounter, subsequent encounter, or sequela).
•As a general rule, code to the highest level of specificity supported by the documentation in the medical record.

S04