icd-10 code for pseudoseizures

by Dena Ferry 6 min read

Coding the Diagnosis of Pseudoseizure in ICD-10-CM
Per the recent Coding Clinic cited above, a diagnosis of pseudoseizure without mention of conversion disorder is coded to R56. 9, Unspecified convulsions.

Full Answer

What are pseudoseizures definition?

Pseudoseizures are psychological reactions induced in a patient suffering from anxiety and mental trauma of the brain that influences several muscles to contract simultaneously that mimics seizure-like conditions. Pseudoseizures are mostly seen in people who have been victims of child abuse.

How to ICD 10 code pseudoobstruction?

Pseudo-obstruction intestine (acute) (chronic) (idiopathic) (intermittent secondary) (primary) K59.89ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code K59.89Other specified functional intestinal disorders2021 - New Code 2022 Billable/Specific CodeApplicable ToAtony of colonPseudo-obstruction (acute) (chronic) of intestine. colonic K59.81. ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code K59.81.

What is the diagnosis code for seizures?

  • G41.0 grand mal status epilepticus
  • G41.1 Petit mal status epilepticus
  • G41.2 Complex partial status epilepticus
  • G41.8 Other status epilepticus
  • G41.9 Status epilepticus, unspecified

What are the new ICD 10 codes?

  • M35.00 (Sjogren syndrome, unspecified)
  • M35.01 (Sjogren syndrome with keratoconjunctivitis)
  • M35.02 (Sjogren syndrome with lung involvement)
  • M35.03 (Sjogren syndrome with myopathy)
  • M35.04 (Sjogren syndrome with tubulo-interstitial nephropathy)
  • M35.05 (Sjogren syndrome with inflammatory arthritis)

More items...

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What are pseudoseizures?

Pseudoseizure is an older term for events that appear to be epileptic seizures but, in fact, do not represent the manifestation of abnormal excessive synchronous cortical activity, which defines epileptic seizures. They are not a variation of epilepsy but are of psychiatric origin.

What is the ICD-10 code for psychogenic non-epileptic seizures?

The ICD-10 diagnosis code for conversion disorder with seizures or convulsions is F44. 5. This code is applicable to dissociative convulsions. Alternate terms used to indicate PNES are: non-epileptic attack disorder, functional seizures, stress seizures, psychogenic seizures, and pseudoseizures.

What is the difference between pseudo seizures and pseudo pseudoseizures?

In the past, people referred to pseudoseizures. However, the use of “pseudo” can imply that a person is pretending to have a seizure, which is not the case. For this reason, the preferred term is now psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). A doctor may also refer to them as psychogenic nonepileptic episodes (EPEE).

Are pseudoseizures fake seizures?

Medical professionals previously referred to PNES as “pseudoseizures.” This term is outdated and not generally preferred by neurologists. “Pseudo” is a Latin word meaning false. However, nonepileptic seizures are as real as epileptic seizures and are not consciously or purposefully produced.

What is psychogenic non-epileptic seizures?

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures are episodes of movement, sensation, or behaviors that are similar to epileptic seizures but do not have a neurologic origin; rather, they are somatic manifestations of psychologic distress.

What are psychogenic non-epileptic events?

Psychogenic non-epileptic events (PNEE), sometimes called psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), are behavioral episodes (“events”) that look like epileptic seizures. For a brief time, the person is not able to control the way his or her body moves, senses things, or thinks.

How do pseudoseizures differ from seizures?

During an attack, findings such as asynchronous or side-to-side movements, crying, and eye closure suggest pseudoseizures, whereas occurrence during sleep indicates a true seizure.

When do pseudoseizures occur?

Pseudoseizures can also manifest in children and adolescents, occurring as early as 5 or 6 years of age.

How do you best differentiate psychogenic non epileptic from epileptic seizures?

PNES occur from wakefulness, while the occurrence of ES from sleep is common. However, PNES patients may also provide a history of events “arising from sleep”.

Is pseudoseizures life threatening?

Many people who suffer from PNES initially react to a diagnosis of any conversion disorder with disbelief, denial, anger, and even hostility. However, people who experience pseudo-seizures are truly suffering, and, once the diagnosis sinks in, there is often a sense of relief that the condition is not life-threatening.

Is PNES a mental illness?

PNES are attacks that may look like epileptic seizures but are not caused by abnormal brain electrical discharges. Instead, they are a manifestation of psychological distress. PNES are not a unique disorder but are a specific type of a larger group of psychiatric conditions that manifest as physical symptoms.

Does PNES show up on EEG?

The diagnosis of PNES typically begins with a clinical suspicion and then is confirmed with EEG-video monitoring. However, ictal EEG may be negative in some partial seizures and may be uninterpretable because of artifacts. Movements can generate rhythmic artifacts that mimic an electrographic seizure.

What does a pseudo seizure look like?

Frequently, people with PNES may look like they are experiencing generalized convulsions similar to tonic-clonic seizures with falling and shaking. Less frequently, PNES may mimic absence seizures or focal impaired awarneness (previously called complex partial) seizures.

How long do pseudoseizures last?

Regarding the length of PNES, it is patient-related and may also vary in a same patient. This duration can range from a minute to several minutes, up to a dozens of minutes. This last scenario would evoke PNES status, with a threshold of 20–30 min according to the authors [20].

Are pseudoseizures voluntary?

They have been previously called pseudoseizures, but that term is mislead- ing. These seizures are quite real, and people who have them do not have conscious, voluntary control over them.

Can pseudoseizures cause brain damage?

Can psychogenic nonepileptic seizures cause brain damage or be fatal? A PNES episode cannot by itself cause brain injury or death. However, if during the episode, the patient suffers a blow or physical injury, the situation changes.

How to know if you have PNES?

Clues to a possible diagnosis of PNES can be discovered by eliciting a seizure history including onset, typical semiology of the seizure, and treatment . Patients with PNES are likely to have seizures more frequently with more hospital visits than patients with epilepsy.

What is the gold standard for diagnosing PNES?

The gold standard for diagnosing PNES is continuous video electroencephalography, or vEEG. This should be done only after carefully eliciting a description of the typical seizure presentation, also known as semiology, from the patient or a family member. Only a video recording that captures an episode resembling the reported semiology with no concomitant epileptiform activity seen on EEG (vEEG) can be used to make a definitive diagnosis. If multiple seizure types are reported, then each type of seizure should be visualized on vEEG because of the possible co-occurrence of PNES with epileptic seizures.

How many PNES patients were seizure free?

The prognosis of the disorder, like its etiology, is varied. With no intervention, slightly more than one-third of 260 patients with PNES were seizure-free at 1-year follow-up. 16 Psychological factors that predict poor prognosis include dissociative tendencies, somatization, negativism, and depression. Keep in mind, however, that seizure frequency may not always correlate with quality of life, and patients who are seizure-free with untreated comorbid psychiatric disorders may be as impaired as those who continue to experience seizures.

How much venlafaxine should I take for seizures?

The results from a small (N = 19) open-label, 5-month prospective study of patients with PNES showed that venlafaxine reduced the number of seizures by more than 50% in 15 patients with an average dose of 189.71 mg daily. 21 It should be noted that participants with psychiatric comorbidities were not excluded from SSRI studies.

What is the differential diagnosis of PNES?

As mentioned above, one of the conditions in the differential diagnosis of PNES is epilepsy. Table 3 summarizes various sites of seizure origin and likely semiology. (For a more complete description of epileptic semiology, see the article by Noachtar and Peters. 14)

What is the significance of PNES?

Although psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are events that appear to be similar to seizures, they are not caused by abnormal electrical brain activity. Instead, they are thought to have an underlying psychological cause.

How long does an EEG last?

However, a routine EEG that lasts 20 to 30 minutes has a 1% chance of capturing even an epileptic seizure and is an insufficient substitute. Ambulatory EEG has also not been shown to be a reliable diagnostic test for PNES.

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What Exactly Is A Pseudoseizure?

  • Pseudoseizures are a form of non-epileptic seizure. These are difficult to diagnose and oftentimes extremely difficult for the patient to comprehend. The term “pseudoseizures” is an older term that is still used today to describe psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). One ph…
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Is The Treatment The same?

  • NO! The treatment will be different if the patient isn’t suffering from epileptic seizures. Treating someone with pseudoseizures as if they have epileptic seizures can be very dangerous. When presenting with seizure activity, if treated as having epileptic seizure, the patient may be administered massive doses of antiepileptic drugs trying to calm the seizure activity. This can re…
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Interesting Statistics For Pnes/Pseudoseizure Diagnosis

  1. 5% to 20% of patients diagnosed with PNES/pseudoseizures may also have epileptic seizures
  2. 30% to 50% of patients with PNES/pseudoseizures have been incorrectly diagnosed and admitted to an ICU
  3. 20% to 50% of patients stop having PNES/pseudoseizures once the diagnosis is reached and without any specific or new treatment
  1. 5% to 20% of patients diagnosed with PNES/pseudoseizures may also have epileptic seizures
  2. 30% to 50% of patients with PNES/pseudoseizures have been incorrectly diagnosed and admitted to an ICU
  3. 20% to 50% of patients stop having PNES/pseudoseizures once the diagnosis is reached and without any specific or new treatment
  4. Around 20% to 40% of the patients that attend epilepsy centers for EEG monitoring are having PNES/pseudoseizures rather than epileptic seizures