Current RMA Instruments:

Changes from Previous Instruments:

SOP Bulletin 148

ICD Coding:

• ICD-9-CM Codes: 446.0
• ICD-10-AM Codes: M30.0

Polyarteritis nodosa means a necrotising inflammation of medium-sized or small arteries, without vasculitis in arterioles, capillaries or venules or glomerulonephritis. This definition excludes microscopic polyangiitis, Churg-Strauss syndrome and polyangiitis overlap syndrome.

Is specific diagnostic evidence required to apply the SOP? – Yes.

This diagnosis is complex and requires specialist physician opinion based on the histology of the blood vessels. There is no specific specialist physician for this disease with the relevant specialty being related to the site or sites of the vasculitis.

Are there sub-factors that require specific information? – No.

Additional diagnoses covered by SOP

• Necrotising angiitis
• Panarteritis or periarteritis (nodosa)
• Disseminated necrotising periarteritis

Conditions not covered by SOP

• Churg-Strauss syndrome (ICD-9 446.4; ICD-10 M30.1)
• Drug related vasculitis (ICD-9 446.20; ICD-10 M31.0)
• Giant cell or temporal arteritis (ICD-9 446.5; ICD-10 M31.5)
• Hypersensitivity vasculitis (ICD-9 446.20; ICD-10 M31.0)
• Microscopic polyangiitis (ICD-9 446.29; ICD-10 M31.7)
• Polyangiiits overlap syndrome (ICD-9 447.6; ICD-10 M30.8)
• Polyarteritis with lung involvement (ICD-9 446.4; ICD-10 M30.1)
• Thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger’s disease) (ICD-9 443.1; ICD-10 I73.1)
• Wegner’s granulomatosis (ICD-9 446.4; ICD-10 M31.3)

Unconfirmed diagnosis

If, after applying the above information, you are unable to confirm the diagnosis, you should then seek medical officer advice about further investigation.

The following investigations may be useful in establishing the diagnosis.

• Histology (biopsy) report