ICD-10 Code A18.39: Retroperitoneal tuberculosis
What is this code?
ICD-10 codes are diagnosis classification codes used in healthcare records, reporting, coding workflows, and billing support. This code sits within the broader ICD-10 area for Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99).
đź“‹Clinical overview
This ICD-10 code is commonly used when documentation describes extrapulmonary tuberculosis affecting bones, joints, genitourinary organs, lymph nodes, abdominal structures, skin, eye, ear, endocrine organs, heart, spleen, or other named sites. The most accurate code depends on the documented organ site and whether the chart names a more specific anatomic location.
When is it used?
- May be used when a clinician documents retroperitoneal tuberculosis in a patient's medical record.
- May appear in hospital records, claims, referrals, and clinical documentation.
- This code can be used as a clinically usable diagnosis entry in standardized coding workflows.
What it does not mean
- A code alone does not explain severity, treatment plan, or outcome.
- A medical code should not be treated as a substitute for a doctor's diagnosis or advice.
đź©şClinical context
- Infectious-disease, inpatient, specialty, and follow-up documentation where tuberculosis is documented outside the lungs and the affected organ system changes code specificity.
- Coding and utilization-review workflows where the chart clearly identifies extrapulmonary tuberculosis involving bone, genitourinary organs, lymph nodes, abdomen, skin, eye, ear, endocrine organs, heart, spleen, or another named site.
- Extrapulmonary-tuberculosis follow-up often includes microbiology, pathology, imaging, organ-specific monitoring, and infectious-disease treatment planning based on the affected site.
- Documentation usually becomes more specific when the chart identifies the exact organ, structure, or body system involved rather than using a broader 'other organs' tuberculosis label.
- Specialist context already linked on this page includes Infectious Disease Specialist, General Physician.
🔍Key distinctions
- This ICD-10 family covers extrapulmonary or other-organ tuberculosis and is distinct from pulmonary tuberculosis branches because the affected organ site drives code selection.
- Specific anatomic-site detail matters here, because spine, kidney, bladder, thyroid, adrenal, heart, spleen, skin, eye, ear, and other named organ involvement are coded separately when documented.
- Abdominal or retroperitoneal tuberculosis is coded separately from bone, genitourinary, skin, eye, endocrine, and other extrapulmonary tuberculosis sites when the affected internal structure is documented more specifically.
Code hierarchy
Official coding notes
- Tuberculosis of mesenteric glands
- Tuberculosis of retroperitoneal (lymph glands)
Where you may see this code
You may see this code in hospital records, discharge summaries, insurance claims, encounter documentation, referrals, or other healthcare billing and coding records.
Related specialists
Coverage-related procedures and services
Coding guidelines
Common synonyms
Frequently asked questions
About this content
This page is prepared by HealthAssure's clinical team using official coding standards from ICD-10. AI tools assist with drafting explanations, which are then reviewed and verified by healthcare professionals for accuracy. This content is for informational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice. Meet our team.