G96.0Cerebrospinal fluid leak

G96.0 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for cerebrospinal fluid leak. It belongs to category G96 (other disorders of central nervous system), block G89-G99 (other disorders of the nervous system) and chapter 6 (diseases of the nervous system). It is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself; one of its 5 subcodes must be used instead.

Within G96 (other disorders of central nervous system), G96.0 is specifically for cerebrospinal fluid leak. Related codes cover disorders of meninges, not elsewhere classified (G96.1), other specified disorders of central nervous system (G96.8) and disorder of central nervous system, unspecified (G96.9).

To report this condition, pick the subcode that matches the documentation: G96.00 (unspecified), G96.01 (spontaneous), G96.02 (spontaneous), G96.08 (leak) and G96.09 (leak).

Don't report G96.0 together with the conditions in its Excludes1 note: cerebrospinal fluid leak from spinal puncture (G97.0).

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015, and changed in FY2021 (expanded into subcodes).

Before ICD-10, this condition was coded in ICD-9-CM as 349.81 (cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea) and 388.61 (cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea).