Pathological fracture, unspecified site, sequela

This code signifies a pathological fracture that has healed, and the patient is now experiencing a residual effect or complication directly related to that prior fracture. It indicates a long-term consequence of a bone weakened by an underlying disease process, rather than a new or acute fracture.

Apply this code when documentation clearly states a patient is presenting with a sequela (e.g., chronic pain, deformity, nonunion, malunion) of a previously healed pathological fracture, and the specific anatomical site of the fracture is not documented. This code is appropriate for follow-up care or management of chronic issues stemming from the original pathological break.

• Always sequence this code after the code for the specific sequela (e.g., M96.0 for nonunion, M96.1 for malunion).
• Ensure documentation explicitly links the current condition to a healed pathological fracture and specifies it as a sequela.
• Avoid using this code for acute pathological fractures; instead, use the appropriate acute pathological fracture code with the corresponding seventh character.