Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Question: Can you tell me what diagnosis code I should use for spasmodic dysphonia? Oregon Subscriber Answer: You should use 478.75 (Other diseases of upper respiratory tract; other diseases of larynx, not elsewhere classified; laryngeal spasm). Remember that treating spasmodic dysphonia affects a different group of muscles in the neck region as compared to treating treat spasmodic torticollis, for instance. Interestingly, you have two other diagnosis code for a direct vocal cord injection into the neck (64613). They are 333.83 (Spasmodic torticollis) and 723.5 (Torticollis unspecified). You should, however, stick to the code that best describes the patient's condition, which is 478.75.