Find policies, billing codes, payers, states, and providers

CPT 78610: Cerebral Perfusion Study, Nuclear Medicine

CPT code 78610 denotes a diagnostic nuclear medicine study of cerebral perfusion using a gamma–emitting radioactive tracer to evaluate blood flow to the brain. This imaging procedure has national relevance for stroke evaluation, cerebrovascular disease assessment, and select neurologic diagnostic pathways where regional cerebral blood flow information informs clinical decisions. Payers commonly covering this service include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.

Readers will find a concise clinical and billing overview of CPT code 78610, including the clinical context for use, typical sites of service, common modifiers, and payer coverage patterns. The publication summarizes benchmark considerations, payer policy themes, and coding nuances that affect claims submission and adjudication. It also outlines the clinical indications that most often prompt cerebral perfusion imaging and highlights areas where documentation and coding clarity are important for reimbursement and utilization oversight. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 78610 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 78610 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 78610 describes a diagnostic nuclear medicine procedure that assesses cerebral perfusion using a gamma–emitting radioactive tracer. The study measures how well blood flows to the brain, typically by injecting a radiotracer and obtaining scintigraphic or SPECT images to evaluate regional cerebral blood flow.

Service type: Diagnostic nuclear medicine study
Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient imaging center, radiology or nuclear medicine department, or specialized diagnostic imaging facility

Find policies, billing codes, payers, states, and providers

CPT 78610: Cerebral Perfusion Study, Nuclear Medicine

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 78610 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 78610 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Billing Code Overview

Service type: Diagnostic nuclear medicine study
Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient imaging center, radiology or nuclear medicine department, or specialized diagnostic imaging facility

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is an adult referred by a neurologist or primary care physician for evaluation of cerebral perfusion using a gamma-emitting radiotracer. Common indications include evaluation of suspected cerebrovascular insufficiency after transient ischemic attack or stroke, assessment of cerebral blood flow in dementia workup, pre-surgical mapping for carotid endarterectomy or cerebrovascular bypass, or monitoring of cerebral perfusion after head trauma. The patient arrives to a nuclear medicine outpatient imaging suite or hospital radiology department. The technologist confirms patient identity, reviews contraindications and recent imaging, and establishes IV access for radiotracer injection. A radiopharmaceutical (commonly Tc-99m–labeled tracer) is administered and dynamic or static planar and/or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images of the brain are obtained per protocol. A board-certified nuclear medicine physician or radiologist interprets the images, documents findings, and issues a report. Typical site of service is an outpatient imaging center or hospital nuclear medicine department. Service type is diagnostic nuclear medicine study of cerebral perfusion. Typical modifiers used depend on professional vs technical component billing, multiple procedures, unusual procedural services, or provider circumstances.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician interpretation/read of the study.
`TC`	Technical component	Use when billing only the imaging equipment, technician, and radiopharmaceutical costs.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when separate bilateral procedures or separate cerebral hemispheric studies require bilateral reporting (rare for cerebral perfusion but applicable if bilateral site-specific billing is required).
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the study is partially reduced or cannot be completed as originally planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is started but discontinued due to patient intolerance or safety concerns.
`59`	Note: `59` is not in the provided modifier list; do not use.	Data not applicable.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the study involves substantially greater resources, time, or complexity than usual (document justification).
`76`	Note: `76` is not in the provided modifier list; do not use.	Data not applicable.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when co-surgeons are required; rarely applicable to imaging.
`78`	Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room	Use when an unplanned repeat procedure under the same anesthesia is required.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant is required; rarely applicable to imaging.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when minimal assistant services are documented.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for assistant at surgery	Use when advanced practice clinicians provide assistant services; rarely applicable in nuclear medicine.
`QK`	Anesthesia-related: medically directing CRNA	Use when anesthesia services are billed and a CRNA is involved.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208500000X	Diagnostic Radiology	Radiologists and nuclear medicine-trained radiologists interpret cerebral perfusion studies.
207P00000X	Neurology	Neurologists commonly order the study and review results for stroke, TIA, and dementia workups.
207K00000X	Nuclear Medicine	Nuclear medicine physicians perform and interpret gamma-emitting radiotracer cerebral perfusion studies.
363L00000X	Radiology Assistant	Radiology assistants and technologists perform image acquisition and protocol execution.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`I63.9`	Cerebral infarction, unspecified	Used for ischemic stroke evaluation and localization of perfusion deficits.
`I67.89`	Other specified cerebrovascular disease	Used for non-ischemic cerebrovascular disorders affecting perfusion.
`G45.9`	Transient cerebral ischemic attack, unspecified	Used to assess residual perfusion abnormalities after TIA symptoms.
`G30.9`	Alzheimer disease, unspecified	Cerebral perfusion imaging may be used as an adjunct in dementia workup.
`S06.5X9A`	Traumatic subdural hemorrhage with unspecified intracranial injury, initial encounter	Used when evaluating cerebral perfusion after traumatic brain injury.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`78800`	Radiopharmaceutical localization of tumor or distribution of radiopharmaceutical agent, planar or SPECT; limited, single area	May be used for limited planar or SPECT radiotracer brain studies or initial localization protocols when applicable.
`78803`	Radiopharmaceutical localization of tumor or distribution of radiopharmaceutical agent, planar or SPECT; multiple areas	Used when multiple anatomic regions are imaged during the same session; occasionally ordered if concurrent head and neck perfusion imaging is performed.
`78607`	Cerebral blood flow, receptor study, qualitative (e.g., xenon, other inhaled agents)	Alternative cerebral perfusion technique codes; used when different methodologies (e.g., xenon inhalation) are employed.
`70553`	Magnetic resonance imaging, brain, without and with contrast material	Often obtained before or after perfusion imaging for anatomic correlation in stroke or tumor evaluation.
`70496`	Computed tomography, perfusion of head/brain	CT perfusion is an alternative or complementary modality to evaluate cerebral blood flow in acute stroke settings.

CPT 78600: Brain Nuclear Diagnostic Imaging, Static Views

CPT-78601-BRAIN-NUCLEAR-PERFUSION-IMAGING-FEWER-THAN-FOUR-STATIC-VIEWS

CPT 78601: Brain Nuclear Perfusion Imaging, Fewer Than Four Static Views

CPT-78605-BRAIN-NUCLEAR-STATIC-IMAGING-FOUR-OR-MORE-VIEWS

CPT 78605: Nuclear Brain Imaging, Four or More Static Views

CPT-78606-NUCLEAR-BRAIN-IMAGING-STATIC-VIEWS-CEREBRAL-BLOOD-FLOW

CPT 78606: Nuclear Brain Imaging with Static Views and Cerebral Blood Flow

CPT-78608-PET-BRAIN-METABOLIC-IMAGING

CPT 78608: PET Brain Metabolic Imaging

CPT-78609-PET-BRAIN-IMAGING

CPT 78609: PET Brain Imaging to Assess Function and Blood Flow

CPT-78630-CSF-FLOW-STUDY-HYDROCEPHALUS-LEAK-EVALUATION

CPT 78630: Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow Study for Hydrocephalus and CSF Leak

CPT-78635-CSF-FLOW-VENTRICULAR-IMAGING-HYDROCEPHALUS

CPT 78635: CSF Flow Study for Ventricular Size Assessment

CPT-78645-CSF-SHUNT-FLOW-IMAGING

CPT 78645: Imaging to Assess Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Patency

CPT-78650-CSF-LEAK-NUCLEAR-IMAGING-LOCALIZATION

CPT 78650: Nuclear Medicine Localization of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak

Showing 1–10 of 12

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician interpretation/read of the study.
`TC`	Technical component	Use when billing only the imaging equipment, technician, and radiopharmaceutical costs.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when separate bilateral procedures or separate cerebral hemispheric studies require bilateral reporting (rare for cerebral perfusion but applicable if bilateral site-specific billing is required).
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the study is partially reduced or cannot be completed as originally planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is started but discontinued due to patient intolerance or safety concerns.
`59`	Note: `59` is not in the provided modifier list; do not use.	Data not applicable.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the study involves substantially greater resources, time, or complexity than usual (document justification).
`76`	Note: `76` is not in the provided modifier list; do not use.	Data not applicable.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when co-surgeons are required; rarely applicable to imaging.
`78`	Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room	Use when an unplanned repeat procedure under the same anesthesia is required.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant is required; rarely applicable to imaging.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when minimal assistant services are documented.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for assistant at surgery	Use when advanced practice clinicians provide assistant services; rarely applicable in nuclear medicine.
`QK`	Anesthesia-related: medically directing CRNA	Use when anesthesia services are billed and a CRNA is involved.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208500000X	Diagnostic Radiology	Radiologists and nuclear medicine-trained radiologists interpret cerebral perfusion studies.
207P00000X	Neurology	Neurologists commonly order the study and review results for stroke, TIA, and dementia workups.
207K00000X	Nuclear Medicine	Nuclear medicine physicians perform and interpret gamma-emitting radiotracer cerebral perfusion studies.
363L00000X	Radiology Assistant	Radiology assistants and technologists perform image acquisition and protocol execution.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`I63.9`	Cerebral infarction, unspecified	Used for ischemic stroke evaluation and localization of perfusion deficits.
`I67.89`	Other specified cerebrovascular disease	Used for non-ischemic cerebrovascular disorders affecting perfusion.
`G45.9`	Transient cerebral ischemic attack, unspecified	Used to assess residual perfusion abnormalities after TIA symptoms.
`G30.9`	Alzheimer disease, unspecified	Cerebral perfusion imaging may be used as an adjunct in dementia workup.
`S06.5X9A`	Traumatic subdural hemorrhage with unspecified intracranial injury, initial encounter	Used when evaluating cerebral perfusion after traumatic brain injury.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`78800`	Radiopharmaceutical localization of tumor or distribution of radiopharmaceutical agent, planar or SPECT; limited, single area	May be used for limited planar or SPECT radiotracer brain studies or initial localization protocols when applicable.
`78803`	Radiopharmaceutical localization of tumor or distribution of radiopharmaceutical agent, planar or SPECT; multiple areas	Used when multiple anatomic regions are imaged during the same session; occasionally ordered if concurrent head and neck perfusion imaging is performed.
`78607`	Cerebral blood flow, receptor study, qualitative (e.g., xenon, other inhaled agents)	Alternative cerebral perfusion technique codes; used when different methodologies (e.g., xenon inhalation) are employed.
`70553`	Magnetic resonance imaging, brain, without and with contrast material	Often obtained before or after perfusion imaging for anatomic correlation in stroke or tumor evaluation.
`70496`	Computed tomography, perfusion of head/brain	CT perfusion is an alternative or complementary modality to evaluate cerebral blood flow in acute stroke settings.

CPT 78600: Brain Nuclear Diagnostic Imaging, Static Views

CPT-78601-BRAIN-NUCLEAR-PERFUSION-IMAGING-FEWER-THAN-FOUR-STATIC-VIEWS

CPT 78601: Brain Nuclear Perfusion Imaging, Fewer Than Four Static Views

CPT-78605-BRAIN-NUCLEAR-STATIC-IMAGING-FOUR-OR-MORE-VIEWS

CPT 78605: Nuclear Brain Imaging, Four or More Static Views

CPT-78606-NUCLEAR-BRAIN-IMAGING-STATIC-VIEWS-CEREBRAL-BLOOD-FLOW

CPT 78606: Nuclear Brain Imaging with Static Views and Cerebral Blood Flow

CPT-78608-PET-BRAIN-METABOLIC-IMAGING

CPT 78608: PET Brain Metabolic Imaging

CPT-78609-PET-BRAIN-IMAGING

CPT 78609: PET Brain Imaging to Assess Function and Blood Flow

CPT-78630-CSF-FLOW-STUDY-HYDROCEPHALUS-LEAK-EVALUATION

CPT 78630: Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow Study for Hydrocephalus and CSF Leak

CPT-78635-CSF-FLOW-VENTRICULAR-IMAGING-HYDROCEPHALUS

CPT 78635: CSF Flow Study for Ventricular Size Assessment

CPT-78645-CSF-SHUNT-FLOW-IMAGING

CPT 78645: Imaging to Assess Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Patency

CPT-78650-CSF-LEAK-NUCLEAR-IMAGING-LOCALIZATION

CPT 78650: Nuclear Medicine Localization of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak

Showing 1–10 of 12

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

OpenPayer

CPT 78610: Cerebral Perfusion Study, Nuclear Medicine

Sign up for cpt 78610 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Catch payer policy changes before they impact reimbursement

Catch payer policy changes before they impact reimbursement

OpenPayer

CPT 78610: Cerebral Perfusion Study, Nuclear Medicine

Sign up for cpt 78610 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

CPT 78610: Cerebral Perfusion Study, Nuclear Medicine

Sign up for cpt 78610 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

CPT 78610: Cerebral Perfusion Study, Nuclear Medicine

Sign up for cpt 78610 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What clinical procedure does CPT 78610 represent and when is it typically used?

Which modifiers are commonly used with CPT 78610 for professional vs technical billing and other scenarios?

What related CPT codes should I consider when cerebral perfusion imaging is part of a multi‑modality or multi‑region evaluation?

Which diagnosis codes are commonly associated with CPT 78610?

Which payers typically cover CPT 78610 and what documentation themes affect claims?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What clinical procedure does CPT 78610 represent and when is it typically used?

Which modifiers are commonly used with CPT 78610 for professional vs technical billing and other scenarios?

What related CPT codes should I consider when cerebral perfusion imaging is part of a multi‑modality or multi‑region evaluation?

Which diagnosis codes are commonly associated with CPT 78610?

Which payers typically cover CPT 78610 and what documentation themes affect claims?

References