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ICD-10-CM 2027 diagnosis code

O70.2Third degree perineal laceration during delivery

Not billable — use a more specific code

O70.2 is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself. Choose one of the 4 more specific codes beneath it.

Code last changed in FY2017 (effective October 1, 2016). Source: official FY2027 ICD-10-CM release from CDC/NCHS and CMS. Page updated September 29, 2026. About our data

About O70.2

O70.2 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for third degree perineal laceration during delivery. It belongs to category O70 (perineal laceration during delivery), block O60-O77 (complications of labor and delivery) and chapter 15 (pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium). It is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself; one of its 4 subcodes must be used instead.

Within O70 (perineal laceration during delivery), O70.2 is specifically for third degree perineal laceration during delivery. Related codes cover first degree perineal laceration during delivery (O70.0), second degree perineal laceration during delivery (O70.1), fourth degree perineal laceration during delivery (O70.3), anal sphincter tear complicating delivery, not associated with third degree laceration (O70.4) and unspecified (O70.9).

To report this condition, pick the subcode that matches the documentation: O70.20 (unspecified), O70.21 (IIIa), O70.22 (IIIb) and O70.23 (IIIc).

Don't report O70.2 together with the conditions in its Excludes1 note: anal sphincter tear during delivery without third degree perineal laceration (O70.4) and perineal laceration involving anal or rectal mucosa (O70.3).

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015, and changed in FY2017 (expanded into subcodes).

Specific codes under O70.2

Coding notes

Applicable toConditions and synonyms classified to this code
  • Perineal laceration, rupture or tear during delivery as in O70.1, also involving anal sphincter
  • Perineal laceration, rupture or tear during delivery as in O70.1, also involving rectovaginal septum
  • Perineal laceration, rupture or tear during delivery as in O70.1, also involving sphincter NOS
Excludes1Not coded here — never report together with this code
  • anal sphincter tear during delivery without third degree perineal laceration (O70.4)
  • perineal laceration involving anal or rectal mucosa (O70.3)

Notes that apply from higher levels

Instructions written at a parent level also apply to O70.2.

› From O70 Perineal laceration during delivery
Includes
  • episiotomy extended by laceration
Excludes1
  • obstetric high vaginal laceration alone (O71.4)

Broader instructions also apply from Chapter 15: Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium.

Codes whose notes reference O70.2

Code history

  1. 2016
  2. 2017
  3. 2018
  4. 2019
  5. 2020
  6. 2021
  7. 2022
  8. 2023
  9. 2024
  10. 2025
  11. 2026
  12. 2027
  • FY2016 (effective 10/1/2015): Added (first year of ICD-10-CM)
  • FY2017 (effective 10/1/2016): Expanded — no longer billable

Common questions about O70.2

Is O70.2 billable?

No. O70.2 is a header code. Report one of its more specific subcodes instead.