Injury of other cranial nerves, left side, initial encounter

This code signifies trauma to any cranial nerve on the left side, excluding the optic and acoustic nerves. It covers injuries such as contusions, lacerations, or crush injuries affecting nerves like the trigeminal, facial, glossopharyngeal, vagus, accessory, or hypoglossal nerves. This diagnosis indicates the initial phase of treatment for such an injury.

Use this code when documentation clearly specifies an injury to a cranial nerve on the left side, other than the optic (II) or acoustic (VIII) nerves, and the patient is receiving active treatment for the injury. Supporting documentation should detail the mechanism of injury, the specific cranial nerve(s) affected, and the left-sided involvement.

• Ensure the documentation specifies "left side" and excludes optic (II) and acoustic (VIII) nerve injuries.
• Verify the encounter is indeed the "initial encounter" for this specific injury. Subsequent encounters will require different seventh characters.
• Always sequence this code after any underlying external cause code (e.g., fall, assault) if applicable.