S72.132A Displaced apophyseal fracture of left femur, initial encounter for closed fracture

ICD-10-CM Code S72.132A: Displaced apophyseal fracture of left femur, initial encounter for closed fracture

ICD-10-CM code S72.132A identifies a displaced apophyseal fracture of the left femur during an initial encounter for a closed fracture. The concept is classified as an injury or poisoning. Apophyseal fractures about the pelvis and femur can occur in skeletally immature athletes due to forceful muscle contractions that overload the tendinous insertion unit. 5 1

Plain-language overview

Code S72.132A is assigned the preferred name of displaced apophyseal fracture of left femur, initial encounter for closed fracture, and it is categorized under the semantic type of injury or poisoning. 5

Clinical context

In skeletally immature individuals, the tendinous insertions about the pelvis and femur resist tensile load better than the apophysis, resulting in an avulsion fracture at this site when the unit is overloaded by forceful muscle contraction. 1

Patients with these avulsion fractures are often engaged in sporting activities such as gymnastics, football, or ballet, which involve running, jumping, or cutting and result in a forceful and eccentric contraction to the hip. 1

What this code represents

The official display label for S72.132A explicitly establishes the diagnosis as a displaced apophyseal fracture of the left femur, specifically designating this as an initial encounter for a closed fracture. 5

What the sources add

The EVS Explore source provides the exact official code label and semantic classification for S72.132A, while the CMS billing articles list related right femur apophyseal fracture codes for subsequent encounters and sequelae. 5 3 4

Documentation considerations

Imaging techniques such as computed tomography and 3D-CT scans can detect and intuitively show small displaced fracture blocks and shell-like fragments associated with avulsion fractures. 2

Coverage and utilization context

CMS billing and coding articles for major joint replacement mention apophyseal fracture codes for the right femur, but the provided excerpts do not explicitly state whether a diagnosis code guarantees service coverage. 3 4

Questions to verify

Does the clinical documentation explicitly specify left femur involvement, confirm the fracture is closed, and establish that this is the initial encounter for the injury? 5

Sources

1. Arthroscopic Reduction and Fixation of a Lesser Trochanter Avulsion Nonunion — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
2. Avulsion Fractures of the Ischial Tuberosity: Progress of Injury, Mechanism, Clinical Manifestations, Imaging Examination, Diagnosis and Differential Diagnosis and Treatment — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
3. Article - Billing and Coding: Lower Extremity Major Joint Replacement (Hip and Knee) (A56796) — cms.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
4. Article - Billing and Coding: Major Joint Replacement (Hip and Knee) (A57765) — cms.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
5. EVS Explore — evsexplore.semantics.cancer.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.