R90.0 vs R93.0
R90.0 and R93.0 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 R93.0
intracranial space-occupying lesion found on diagnostic imaging (R90.0)
R90.0
Intracranial space-occupying lesion found on diagnostic imaging of central nervous system
Billable
- Chapter 18
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- Section
- R90-R94
Indexed under
- Lesion › intracranial, space-occupying (s) (nontraumatic)
R93.0
Abnormal findings on diagnostic imaging of skull and head, not elsewhere classified
BillableUnspecified
- Chapter 18
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified
- Section
- R90-R94
Indexed under
- Cistern, subarachnoid
- Cyst › subarachnoid intrasellar (colloid) (mucous) (simple) (retention)
- Enlargement, enlarged › pituitary fossa
- Enlargement, enlarged › sella turcica
- Findings, abnormal, inconclusive, without diagnosis › pneumoencephalogram
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