Other restrictive cardiomyopathy

This code represents a form of cardiomyopathy characterized by rigid ventricular walls that impair diastolic filling, leading to elevated filling pressures and heart failure symptoms. Unlike hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathies, the ventricular chambers are typically normal in size, but their stiffness prevents proper relaxation and filling.

Use this code when documentation explicitly states "restrictive cardiomyopathy" and further specifies it as "other" or does not fit the criteria for endomyocardial (I42.4) or unspecified (I42.9) types. This diagnosis is often made based on echocardiographic findings showing impaired diastolic function with preserved ejection fraction, along with clinical signs of heart failure.

• Differentiate from hypertrophic (I42.2) or dilated (I42.0, I42.1) cardiomyopathies, which have distinct structural abnormalities.
• Always seek to identify the underlying cause if known (e.g., amyloidosis, sarcoidosis) and code it first, as restrictive cardiomyopathy is often a manifestation of a systemic disease.
• Avoid using this code if the documentation simply states "cardiomyopathy" without further specificity; in such cases, I42.9 (Unspecified cardiomyopathy) would be more appropriate.