Osteonecrosis due to previous trauma, unspecified hand

This code signifies the death of bone tissue in an unspecified hand, resulting from a prior traumatic injury. This avascular necrosis occurs when blood supply to the bone is disrupted, leading to bone cell death and potential collapse of the affected bone. The "unspecified hand" indicates that the laterality (left or right) is not documented.

Apply this code when documentation clearly states osteonecrosis of the hand is a direct consequence of a previous trauma, and the specific hand (left or right) is not specified. Supporting documentation would include imaging reports confirming avascular necrosis and a patient history detailing a prior hand injury.

• Ensure the documentation explicitly links the osteonecrosis to a previous trauma, not an acute injury.
• If laterality is specified (left or right hand), use the more specific codes M87.241 or M87.242.
• Do not use this code for osteonecrosis due to current trauma; instead, consider codes from chapter 19 (Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes).