S24.139A (Anterior cord syndrome at unspecified level of thoracic spinal cord, initial encounter) compared with S24.139S (Anterior cord syndrome at unspecified level of thoracic spinal cord, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data. S24.139A and S24.139S code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.
Same underlying diagnosis, different encounter phase.
The 7th character records the phase of care for the encounter being coded, so a single encounter takes one of these characters, not several. Review whether both phases belong on the same episode of care.
Source: ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.C.19.a
Same injury, other encounter phase. S24.139A and S24.139S code the same injury at a different phase of treatment, set by the 7th character.
The 7th character records the type of care given at the encounter being coded (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.C.19.a), so one encounter takes one of these, not both.
| S24.139AAnterior cord syndrome at unspecified level of thoracic spinal cord, initial encounter | S24.139SAnterior cord syndrome at unspecified level of thoracic spinal cord, sequela | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| Classification | S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88) | S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88) |
| Definition | Anterior cord syndrome at unspecified level of thoracic spinal cord, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S24.139A). | Anterior cord syndrome at unspecified level of thoracic spinal cord, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S24.139S). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S24 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S24 |
| Includes | injuries of breast injuries of chest (wall) injuries of interscapular area | injuries of breast injuries of chest (wall) injuries of interscapular area |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources