I67.7 vs I77.6
I67.7 and I77.6 can never be reported together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note, meaning the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient — so exactly one of them is correct for any given encounter.
The official note, declared on I77.6
cerebral NEC (I67.7)
I67.7
Cerebral arteritis, not elsewhere classified
BillableUnspecified
- Chapter 9
- Diseases of the circulatory system
- Section
- I60-I69
Use when the record says
- Granulomatous angiitis of the nervous system
Indexed under
- Angiitis › nervous system, granulomatous
- Arteritis › brain
- Arteritis › cerebral
- Endarteritis › brain (bacterial, subacute) (infective)
- Endarteritis › cerebral or cerebrospinal (bacterial, subacute) (infective)
I77.6
Arteritis, unspecified
BillableUnspecified
- Chapter 9
- Diseases of the circulatory system
- Section
- I70-I79
Use when the record says
- Aortitis NOS
- Endarteritis NOS
Indexed under
- Angiitis
- Aortitis (nonsyphilitic) (calcific)
- Arteriolitis
- Arteritis
- Endarteritis (bacterial, subacute) (infective)
Excludes1 is not always absolute: where two conditions covered by the note are genuinely unrelated, CMS guidance permits reporting both. Document the reasoning rather than assuming it. More on Excludes1 vs Excludes2 · FY2027