Acute recurrent ethmoidal sinusitis

This code signifies an acute inflammatory process affecting the ethmoid sinuses that occurs repeatedly after periods of remission. It describes a distinct episode of acute sinusitis localized to the ethmoid air cells, in a patient with a history of prior acute ethmoidal sinus infections.

Use this code when documentation clearly indicates an acute exacerbation of ethmoidal sinusitis in a patient with a history of recurrent acute episodes. The physician's notes should specify both the acute nature of the current episode and the recurrent pattern of the condition.

• Ensure documentation specifies "recurrent" and "acute" for the ethmoidal sinusitis.
• Do not confuse with chronic ethmoidal sinusitis (J32.2) or unspecified acute ethmoidal sinusitis (J01.20).
• If the recurrence involves multiple sinuses, consider using a code for acute recurrent pansinusitis (J01.41) or other specified recurrent sinusitis.