K83.1 vs Q44.3
K83.1 and Q44.3 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 K83.1
congenital obstruction of bile duct (Q44.3)
K83.1
Obstruction of bile duct
Billable
- Chapter 11
- Diseases of the digestive system
- Section
- K80-K87
Use when the record says
- Occlusion of bile duct without cholelithiasis
- Stenosis of bile duct without cholelithiasis
- Stricture of bile duct without cholelithiasis
Indexed under
- Cholestasis NEC
- Mirizzi's syndrome (hepatic duct stenosis)
- Jaundice › obstructive (yellow)
- Jaundice › regurgitation (yellow)
- Obliteration › bile duct
Q44.3
Congenital stenosis and stricture of bile ducts
Billable
- Chapter 17
- Congenital malformations, deformations, chromosomal abnormalities, and genetic disorders
- Section
- Q38-Q45
Indexed under
- Obstruction, obstructed, obstructive › bile duct or passage › congenital
- Stenosis, stenotic › bile duct › congenital (cicatricial)
- Stenosis, stenotic › commonduct › congenital (cicatricial)
- Stricture › bile duct › congenital
These two codes sit in different chapters of the Tabular List, which is usually the clearest signal that they describe different underlying processes rather than different degrees of the same one.
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