ICD-10-CM 2027 diagnosis code
H71.9Unspecified cholesteatoma
H71.9 is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself. Choose one of the 4 more specific codes beneath it.
Looking up by condition? See ICD-10 code for Cholesteatoma.
Code unchanged since ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. Source: official FY2027 ICD-10-CM release from CDC/NCHS and CMS. Page updated September 29, 2026. About our data
About H71.9
H71.9 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for unspecified cholesteatoma. It belongs to category H71 (cholesteatoma of middle ear), block H65-H75 (diseases of middle ear and mastoid) and chapter 8 (diseases of the ear and mastoid process). It is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself; one of its 4 subcodes must be used instead.
Within H71, choose H71.9 (Unspecified cholesteatoma) only when documentation doesn't support a more specific option: cholesteatoma of attic (H71.0), cholesteatoma of tympanum (H71.1), cholesteatoma of mastoid (H71.2) and diffuse cholesteatosis (H71.3).
To report this condition, pick the subcode that matches the documentation: H71.90 (unspecified ear), H71.91 (right ear), H71.92 (left ear) and H71.93 (bilateral).
It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015 and hasn't changed since.
Specific codes under H71.9
Notes that apply from higher levels
Instructions written at a parent level also apply to H71.9.
Broader instructions also apply from Chapter 8: Diseases of the ear and mastoid process.
Alphabetic index entries
1 entriesTerms in the official ICD-10-CM index that lead to H71.9.
Code history
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
- 2026
- 2027
- FY2016 (effective 10/1/2015): Added (first year of ICD-10-CM)
- No changes since FY2016.
Common questions about H71.9
Is H71.9 billable?
- No. H71.9 is a header code. Report one of its more specific subcodes instead.