A18.6 Tuberculosis of (inner) (middle) ear

Billable ICD-10-CM code, FY2026. Acts as a Complication or Comorbidity (CC) as a secondary diagnosis.

Applicable to

• Tuberculous otitis media

Excludes2 (not included here)

• tuberculosis of external ear (A18.4)
• tuberculous mastoiditis (A18.03)

MS-DRG index

Defines the logic of DRG(s) 154-156 in MDC 03.

Approximate ICD-9-CM (GEMs)

• 017.40 Tuberculosis of ear, unspecified (approximate)

Code annotations containing back-references to A18.6

Back-references to A18.6

• Type 1 Excludes: H66.3 Other chronic suppurative otitis media ("tuberculous otitis media (A18.6)")
• Type 1 Excludes: H67 Otitis media in diseases classified elsewhere ("tuberculosis (A18.6)")

Back-references to A18

• Type 2 Excludes: A31 Infection due to other mycobacteria ("tuberculosis (A15-A19)")

Diagnosis Index entries for A18.6

• Otitis (acute) › media (hemorrhagic) (staphylococcal) (streptococcal) › in (due to) (with) › tuberculosis
• Otitis (acute) › media (hemorrhagic) (staphylococcal) (streptococcal) › tuberculous
• Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous (calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative) › ear (inner) (middle)
• Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous (calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative) › eustachian tube
• Tuberculosis, tubercular, tuberculous (calcification) (calcified) (caseous) (chromogenic acid-fast bacilli) (degeneration) (fibrocaseous) (fistula) (interstitial) (isolated circumscribed lesions) (necrosis) (parenchymatous) (ulcerative) › otitis media

Nearby codes

• A18.51 Tuberculous episcleritis
• A18.52 Tuberculous keratitis
• A18.53 Tuberculous chorioretinitis
• A18.54 Tuberculous iridocyclitis
• A18.59 Other tuberculosis of eye
• A18.6 Tuberculosis of (inner) (middle) ear (this code)
• A18.7 Tuberculosis of adrenal glands
• A18.8 Tuberculosis of other specified organs
• A18.81 Tuberculosis of thyroid gland
• A18.82 Tuberculosis of other endocrine glands
• A18.83 Tuberculosis of digestive tract organs, not elsewhere classified