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T81.321 ICD-10-CM Code: Disruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia

Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.

Coding at a Glance

7th character
Required — see the character table on this page
Tabular directives
5 Excludes1 · 31 Excludes2 · 3 use-additional codes

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for T81.321 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Notes without a marker are published on T81.321 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Excludes1 — Not Coded Here

Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Source: inherited from T81.3

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

Use Additional Code

Supplementary codes the tabular list directs you to add.

  • Use additional code for adverse effect, if applicable, to identify drug (T36-T50 with fifth or sixth character 5)
  • Use additional code(s) to identify the specified condition resulting from the complication
  • Use additional code to identify devices involved and details of circumstances (Y62-Y82)

Source: inherited from T80-T88

7th Character Guide

"The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T81"

  • A — initial encounter
  • D — subsequent encounter
  • S — sequela

How the encounter character is assigned. “Initial encounter” means the patient is receiving active treatment for the condition — it is not limited to the first visit, and a different or new provider giving active treatment still assigns it. “Subsequent encounter” covers care during the healing or recovery phase after active treatment. “Sequela” is for complications or conditions that arise as a direct result of the original condition.

ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, Section I.C.19.a (paraphrased by MedCoder).

Variant codes in this family

T81.321A, T81.321D, T81.321S

Character meanings are CMS's official 7th-character extensions for this family, as carried in each variant code's official description; variant codes are registry rows. The explanation of how the encounter character is assigned is MedCoder editorial, distinct from the official content above it.

Coder workflow for T81.321

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code T81.321

  1. T81.321 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewT81.321A, T81.321D, T81.321S

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

  2. A 7th character is required in this family. Confirm the documented encounter: initial (active treatment), subsequent (healing or recovery phase), or sequela. T81.321 is not valid without one. “Initial” means active treatment, not the first visit (Guidelines I.C.19.a).

    See the 7th Character Guide · Guide: 7th characters: initial, subsequent, sequela →

  3. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with T81.321. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

    See the official tabular notes

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath T81.321?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → T81.321 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewT81.321A, T81.321D, T81.321S

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in T81.321’s Excludes1 note?
    Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
    No → Continue.

    ReviewT85.612, T85.622, O90.0, O90.1, T85.692

  3. Is the encounter phase documented — active treatment, healing or recovery, or a sequela?
    Yes → Assign the matching 7th character; the variant codes are in the 7th Character Guide.
    No → The code is invalid without its 7th character — query for the missing element.

Consider T81.321. Then work the Use Additional Code note, and confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
Encounter type
Active treatment, healing or recovery phase, or sequela — the basis of the 7th character (Guidelines I.C.19.a).
The conditions the Use Additional Code note names
Reported with this code when documented; a conditional instruction (“if applicable”, “if known”) applies only when the record supports it.

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting T81.321(5 notes)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with T81.321: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareT85.612, T85.622, O90.0, O90.1, T85.692

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a

  • Excludes2 — not part of T81.321(31 notes)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in T81.321. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    CompareT80, T86, L23.3, L24.4, L25.1, M27.6

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.b

  • Use Additional Code — after identifying T81.321(3 notes)

    Coding workflow: Check whether the documentation supports the additional code(s) the note names, and report them with T81.321 when it does. Where the instruction is conditional (“if applicable”, “if known”), it applies only when the record documents the condition.

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.13

Coding decision scenarios

Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases

Documentation: Both the condition T81.321 describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.

Coding question: Can both codes be reported?

Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.

Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

ReviewT85.612, T85.622, O90.0, O90.1, T85.692

Documentation: The patient returns during the healing or recovery phase after active treatment of the same condition.

Coding question: Which 7th character applies?

Path: Review the official 7th-character definitions for this family in the 7th Character Guide.

Reason: “Initial encounter” means active treatment, not the first visit; care during recovery takes “subsequent encounter”, and a complication arising from the original condition takes “sequela” (Guidelines I.C.19.a).

Documentation: A condition the Use Additional Code note names is documented.

Coding question: Is a second code reported with T81.321?

Path: Review the Use Additional Code note and the code it names.

Reason: The additional code is reported when the record documents the condition; a conditional instruction applies only when its condition is met (Guidelines I.A.13).

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Code Overview

Disruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (T81.321). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Indexed Clinical Terms (7)

Official source data — entries quoted as published, in the Index’s own lookup phrasing

Clinical term phrases from the official ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries that map to this code. These are alphabetic-index entries shown as the Index writes them — lookup phrasing, not necessarily the wording of a final diagnosis.

Decision Points

The directives on this code's own record, as a pre-claim checklist.

  1. A 7th character applies in this family. Confirm the documented encounter matches the character assigned. See the official 7th-character definitions and this code’s variants
  2. 3 Use Additional Code instructions — report the named additional code(s) when the documentation supports them. See the Use Additional Code notes
  3. 5 Excludes1 entries — codes named there are generally not reported together with this code (Guidelines I.A.12.a). See the Excludes1 notes
  4. 31 Excludes2 entries — those conditions are not part of this code and may be reported additionally when documented. See the Excludes2 notes

Checklist rows are derived from this code's own official directives; the wording of each check is MedCoder editorial. The official notes themselves are in the sections each row links to.

Verify Before Coding

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name T81.321 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 1 Excludes1 note: T88.7 — Unspecified adverse effect of drug or medicament (via T81.-).

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

Referenced by 3 Excludes2 notes: T78 — Adverse effects, not elsewhere classified (via T81.-), T79 — Certain early complications of trauma, not elsewhere classified (via T81.-), T88 — Other complications of surgical and medical care, not elsewhere classified (via T81.-).

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

Referenced by 1 Code First instruction: J98.51 — Mediastinitis (via T81.-).

Each of these codes carries a Code First note naming this condition — when that code is reported, THIS code is sequenced first, ahead of it.

Referenced by 6 Code Also instructions across 3 chapters: J86.0 — Pyothorax with fistula (via T81.32.-), K31.6 — Fistula of stomach and duodenum (via T81.32.-), K63.2 — Fistula of intestine (via T81.32.-), K82.3 — Fistula of gallbladder (via T81.32.-), T81.4 — Infection following a procedure (via T81.32.-), T81.83 — Persistent postprocedural fistula (via T81.32.-).

These codes suggest coding this condition alongside when both are present.

Related Codes

Same Index main term, other category

The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main terms “Dehiscence”, “Disruption”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

H21.89 — Other specified disorders of iris and ciliary body (iris NEC), O90.0 — Disruption of cesarean delivery wound (cesarean wound), O90.1 — Disruption of perineal obstetric wound (episiotomy), S32.810 — Multiple fractures of pelvis with stable disruption of pelvic ring (pelvic ring), S32.811 — Multiple fractures of pelvis with unstable disruption of pelvic ring (pelvic ring, unstable), T87.81 — Dehiscence of amputation stump (amputation stump), Z63.31 — Absence of family member due to military deployment (family, due to, absence of family member due to military deployment), Z63.32 — Other absence of family member (family, due to, absence of family member NEC), Z63.4 — Disappearance and death of family member (family, due to, bereavement), Z63.5 — Disruption of family by separation and divorce (family, due to, divorce or separation), Z63.71 — Stress on family due to return of family member from military deployment (family, due to, return of family member from military deployment), Z63.72 — Alcoholism and drug addiction in family (family, due to, drug addiction in family), Z63.79 — Other stressful life events affecting family and household (family, due to, stressful life events NEC), Z63.8 — Other specified problems related to primary support group (family)

Contextual Map

Every relationship of T81.321 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run T81.321 with these 11 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

Referenced by Excludes2 notes

Referenced by Code First instructions

  • J98.51 — Mediastinitis[Code First](via T81.-): “underlying condition, if applicable, such as postoperative mediastinitis (T81.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026

Referenced by Code Also instructions

  • J86.0 — Pyothorax with fistula[Code Also](via T81.32.-): “, if applicable, disruption of internal operation (surgical) wound (T81.32-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • K31.6 — Fistula of stomach and duodenum[Code Also](via T81.32.-): “, if applicable, disruption of internal operation (surgical) wound (T81.32-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • K63.2 — Fistula of intestine[Code Also](via T81.32.-): “, if applicable, disruption of internal operation (surgical) wound (T81.32-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • K82.3 — Fistula of gallbladder[Code Also](via T81.32.-): “, if applicable, disruption of internal operation (surgical) wound (T81.32-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • T81.4 — Infection following a procedure[Code Also](via T81.32.-): “, if applicable, disruption of internal operation (surgical) wound (T81.32-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • T81.83 — Persistent postprocedural fistula[Code Also](via T81.32.-): “, if applicable, disruption of internal operation (surgical) wound (T81.32-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026

Index entries

  • Burst stitches or sutures (complication of surgery), internal operation wound, abdominal wall muscle or fascia[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Dehiscence (of), closure of, abdominal wall muscle or fascia[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Dehiscence (of), closure of, fascia (muscular) (superficial), abdominal[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Dehiscence (of), closure of, muscle or muscle flap, abdominal[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Dehiscence (of), operation wound NEC, internal operation wound (deep), abdominal wall muscle or fascia[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Disruption (of), closure of, abdominal wall muscle or fascia[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Disruption (of), wound, operation, internal operation wound (deep), abdominal wall muscle or fascia[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2026

Nearest codes (40)

Change history

Common coding questions

Can T81.321 be billed directly?

No. T81.321 (Disruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

Does T81.321 require a 7th character?

Yes. The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T81.

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder structured relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Change history

  • FY2025 — October 1, 2024
    Added to the code set
    Disruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia
    FY2025 changes

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to T81.321 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the T81 family