Type III occipital condyle fracture, left side, sequela

This code describes a chronic or late effect of a specific type of fracture affecting the left occipital condyle. A Type III fracture involves an avulsion injury where a fragment of bone is pulled away by the alar ligament, often associated with craniocervical instability. "Sequela" indicates that this code is used for conditions that are residual effects of the original injury, not the acute fracture itself.

Use this code when documenting a patient presenting with long-term complications or residual symptoms directly attributable to a previously sustained Type III occipital condyle fracture on the left side. This applies to conditions such as chronic pain, instability, or neurological deficits that persist after the initial healing phase. Documentation should clearly state the prior fracture and the current sequela.

• Do not use this code for the initial or acute treatment of the fracture; use an acute fracture code instead.
• Always code the specific sequela (e.g., chronic pain, neurological deficit) in addition to this sequela code.
• Ensure documentation specifies "left side" and "Type III" to support the specificity of this code.