Question: Codes 433.10 and 434.00

Why are these two codes which designate WITHOUT INFARCT even included in the ischemic stroke population? Doesn't WITHOUT INFARCT mean that the patient did NOT have a stroke (of any type)?

Answer:

"WITHOUT INFARCT does not mean that the patient did NOT have a stroke". Stroke is a clinical diagnosis based on persistent neurological deficit(s). ICD-9-CM Prinicpal Diagnosis Codes 433.10 and 434.00 are among 12 diagnosis codes used to identify the ISCHEMIC stroke patient population. Early intervention to reverse/improve ischemia can prevent infarction.