ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) code group C51Q includes procedures performed to image veins in the upper extremities using planar nuclear medicine techniques. These ICD-10-PCS codes are used for inpatient documentation when a radiopharmaceutical is introduced to obtain single plane images of bilateral upper extremity veins for diagnostic evaluation. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-PCS C51Q group is essential for proper inpatient reimbursement, as it captures the specific imaging procedure performed and supports clinical documentation accuracy.

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Upper Extremity Veins Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging Procedure Overview

This procedure group includes planar nuclear medicine imaging studies that introduce radioactive materials to capture single plane images of the bilateral upper extremity venous system. These procedures target the veins and involve administering radiopharmaceuticals followed by image capture of radioactive emissions. Accurate ICD-10-PCS coding reflects the specific body part and imaging operation, which affects inpatient documentation and reimbursement. Proper code selection supports clinical record accuracy and hospital payment determination.

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
C	Section	Nuclear Medicine
5	Body System	Veins
1	Operation	Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging
Q	Body Part	Upper Extremity Veins, Bilateral

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ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

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Upper Extremity Veins Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
C	Section	Nuclear Medicine
5	Body System	Veins
1	Operation	Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging
Q	Body Part	Upper Extremity Veins, Bilateral

When to Use

Use a code from this group when a radiopharmaceutical is introduced to perform planar nuclear medicine imaging of both upper extremity veins. These codes apply when single plane imaging is obtained for diagnostic or evaluative purposes involving the venous structures of the upper extremities.

ICD-10-PCS Codes

2 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
C51Q1ZZ	Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging of Bilateral Upper Extremity Veins using Technetium 99m (Tc-99m)
C51QYZZ	Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging of Bilateral Upper Extremity Veins using Other Radionuclide

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly hospitalized patient with sudden unilateral arm swelling progressing to both upper extremities after placement of a peripherally inserted central catheter presents with concern for bilateral upper extremity deep venous thrombosis versus catheter-related thrombus. A planar nuclear medicine venous study is ordered to evaluate venous patency in both arms by introducing a radiopharmaceutical and obtaining single-plane images of the bilateral upper extremity veins to assist in diagnosis and guide anticoagulation management. Typical codes: C51QYZZ
A middle-aged outpatient admitted for short-stay evaluation of chronic intermittent arm swelling and suspected thoracic outlet compression returns for inpatient diagnostic workup after nondiagnostic ultrasound. To further assess venous drainage and detect positional venous obstruction, a planned single-plane nuclear medicine study of the bilateral upper extremity veins is performed following administration of a radiopharmaceutical. The imaging targets both arms to compare flow and identify venous outflow abnormalities. Typical codes: C51Q1ZZ
A hospitalized patient with persistent arm swelling several days after an anticoagulation-treated upper extremity thrombus undergoes repeat imaging to assess residual thrombus and venous flow prior to deciding on catheter-directed interventions. A repeat planar nuclear medicine study is performed with an alternative radionuclide when prior imaging agents produced inconclusive results, providing single-plane bilateral upper extremity venous images to evaluate for persistent occlusion or recanalization. Typical codes: C51QYZZ

ICD-10-PCS Code For Right Lower Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51C-LEFT-LOWER-EXTREMITY-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Extremity Veins, Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51D-LOWER-EXTREMITY-VEINS-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51N-UPPER-EXTREMITY-VEINS-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins, Right: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51P-LEFT-UPPER-EXTREMITY-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins, Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51R-CENTRAL-VEINS-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Central Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51Y-VEINS-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

2 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
C51Q1ZZ	Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging of Bilateral Upper Extremity Veins using Technetium 99m (Tc-99m)
C51QYZZ	Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging of Bilateral Upper Extremity Veins using Other Radionuclide

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly hospitalized patient with sudden unilateral arm swelling progressing to both upper extremities after placement of a peripherally inserted central catheter presents with concern for bilateral upper extremity deep venous thrombosis versus catheter-related thrombus. A planar nuclear medicine venous study is ordered to evaluate venous patency in both arms by introducing a radiopharmaceutical and obtaining single-plane images of the bilateral upper extremity veins to assist in diagnosis and guide anticoagulation management. Typical codes: C51QYZZ
A middle-aged outpatient admitted for short-stay evaluation of chronic intermittent arm swelling and suspected thoracic outlet compression returns for inpatient diagnostic workup after nondiagnostic ultrasound. To further assess venous drainage and detect positional venous obstruction, a planned single-plane nuclear medicine study of the bilateral upper extremity veins is performed following administration of a radiopharmaceutical. The imaging targets both arms to compare flow and identify venous outflow abnormalities. Typical codes: C51Q1ZZ
A hospitalized patient with persistent arm swelling several days after an anticoagulation-treated upper extremity thrombus undergoes repeat imaging to assess residual thrombus and venous flow prior to deciding on catheter-directed interventions. A repeat planar nuclear medicine study is performed with an alternative radionuclide when prior imaging agents produced inconclusive results, providing single-plane bilateral upper extremity venous images to evaluate for persistent occlusion or recanalization. Typical codes: C51QYZZ

ICD-10-PCS Code For Right Lower Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51C-LEFT-LOWER-EXTREMITY-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Extremity Veins, Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51D-LOWER-EXTREMITY-VEINS-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51N-UPPER-EXTREMITY-VEINS-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins, Right: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51P-LEFT-UPPER-EXTREMITY-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins, Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51R-CENTRAL-VEINS-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Central Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

C51Y-VEINS-PLANAR-IMAGING

ICD-10-PCS Code For Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

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Upper Extremity Veins Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

OpenPayer

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

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Upper Extremity Veins Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

References

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

References

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Upper Extremity Veins Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Extremity Veins: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Upper Extremity Veins Planar Nuclear Medicine Imaging Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

What procedures are included in the ICD-10-PCS code group C51Q?

Which ICD-10-PCS codes are in this procedure group?

What are the code attributes for the Upper Extremity Veins, Bilateral procedure group?

How does accurate coding in C51Q affect reimbursement and documentation?

Are there any related DRGs listed for this procedure group?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

What procedures are included in the ICD-10-PCS code group C51Q?

Which ICD-10-PCS codes are in this procedure group?

What are the code attributes for the Upper Extremity Veins, Bilateral procedure group?

How does accurate coding in C51Q affect reimbursement and documentation?

Are there any related DRGs listed for this procedure group?

References