ICD-10-PCS Code For Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) code group DW1Q includes procedures performed to deliver brachytherapy to structures in the respiratory tract. These ICD-10-PCS codes are used for inpatient documentation when internal radiation sources are placed in or near airway structures to treat tumors or other lesions. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-PCS DW1Q group is essential for proper inpatient reimbursement, as it captures the specific procedure performed and supports clinical documentation accuracy.

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Respiratory Tract Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

This code group covers brachytherapy procedures that deliver targeted radiation directly to the respiratory tract for treatment of malignant or other pathological lesions. These procedures target anatomical regions of the respiratory system and involve placement of radioactive sources within or adjacent to airway structures. Accurate ICD-10-PCS coding of these procedures supports correct inpatient reimbursement and reflects the intensity and resource use of radiation therapy treatments.

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
D	Section	Radiation Therapy
W	Body System	Anatomical Regions
1	Operation	Brachytherapy
Q	Body Part	Respiratory Tract

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ICD-10-PCS Code For Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

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Respiratory Tract Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
D	Section	Radiation Therapy
W	Body System	Anatomical Regions
1	Operation	Brachytherapy
Q	Body Part	Respiratory Tract

When to Use

Use a code from this group when radioactive material is placed within or adjacent to respiratory tract structures as part of treatment. These codes apply when brachytherapy is performed during an inpatient encounter to treat tumors or other localized pathological conditions of the airway.

ICD-10-PCS Codes

2 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
DW1QBB1	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Respiratory Tract using Palladium 103 (Pd-103), Unidirectional Source
DW1QBBZ	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Respiratory Tract using Palladium 103 (Pd-103)

Typical Clinical Scenarios

A 68-year-old patient with a history of heavy smoking presents with a centrally located bronchogenic carcinoma causing recurrent hemoptysis and airway obstruction; after multidisciplinary review and in preparation for definitive local control, low dose rate intracavitary radioactive seeds are placed endobronchially to deliver targeted radiation to the tumor while minimizing exposure to surrounding lung tissue. This planned inpatient procedure treats the airway lesion directly and reduces tumor burden and bleeding risk. Typical codes: DW1QBBZ
A 55-year-old patient admitted electively for management of a small, localized tracheal carcinoid tumor not amenable to complete resection because of proximity to critical airway structures; clinicians perform low dose rate brachytherapy with a unidirectional Pd-103 source positioned adjacent to the lesion to provide focal radiation while sparing uninvolved airway mucosa. The inpatient stay is for procedure delivery and short-term monitoring for airway complications. Typical codes: DW1QBB1
An older patient with recurrent endobronchial tumor after prior external beam radiation undergoes salvage localized internal radiation to control obstructive symptoms and palliate dyspnea; because the therapeutic goal is focal dose to the respiratory tract with constrained surrounding exposure, low dose rate Pd-103 brachytherapy is delivered during an inpatient admission and followed closely for airway edema or radiation effects. Typical codes: DW1QBBZ, DW1QBB1

ICD-10-PCS Code For Cranial Cavity: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW11-HEAD-AND-NECK-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Head And Neck: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW12-CHEST-BRACHYTHERAPY

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

DW13-ABDOMEN-BRACHYTHERAPY

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

DW16-PELVIC-REGION-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Pelvic Region: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1K-UPPER-BACK-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1L-LOWER-BACK-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1P-GASTROINTESTINAL-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Gastrointestinal Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1R-GENITOURINARY-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY-GENITOURINARY-TRACT

ICD-10-PCS Code For Genitourinary Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1X-UPPER-EXTREMITY-BRACHYTHERAPY

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

Showing 1–10 of 11

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
DW1QBB1	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Respiratory Tract using Palladium 103 (Pd-103), Unidirectional Source
DW1QBBZ	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Respiratory Tract using Palladium 103 (Pd-103)

Typical Clinical Scenarios

A 68-year-old patient with a history of heavy smoking presents with a centrally located bronchogenic carcinoma causing recurrent hemoptysis and airway obstruction; after multidisciplinary review and in preparation for definitive local control, low dose rate intracavitary radioactive seeds are placed endobronchially to deliver targeted radiation to the tumor while minimizing exposure to surrounding lung tissue. This planned inpatient procedure treats the airway lesion directly and reduces tumor burden and bleeding risk. Typical codes: DW1QBBZ
A 55-year-old patient admitted electively for management of a small, localized tracheal carcinoid tumor not amenable to complete resection because of proximity to critical airway structures; clinicians perform low dose rate brachytherapy with a unidirectional Pd-103 source positioned adjacent to the lesion to provide focal radiation while sparing uninvolved airway mucosa. The inpatient stay is for procedure delivery and short-term monitoring for airway complications. Typical codes: DW1QBB1
An older patient with recurrent endobronchial tumor after prior external beam radiation undergoes salvage localized internal radiation to control obstructive symptoms and palliate dyspnea; because the therapeutic goal is focal dose to the respiratory tract with constrained surrounding exposure, low dose rate Pd-103 brachytherapy is delivered during an inpatient admission and followed closely for airway edema or radiation effects. Typical codes: DW1QBBZ, DW1QBB1

ICD-10-PCS Code For Cranial Cavity: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW11-HEAD-AND-NECK-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Head And Neck: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW12-CHEST-BRACHYTHERAPY

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

DW13-ABDOMEN-BRACHYTHERAPY

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

DW16-PELVIC-REGION-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Pelvic Region: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1K-UPPER-BACK-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1L-LOWER-BACK-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Back: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1P-GASTROINTESTINAL-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY

ICD-10-PCS Code For Gastrointestinal Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1R-GENITOURINARY-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY-GENITOURINARY-TRACT

ICD-10-PCS Code For Genitourinary Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

DW1X-UPPER-EXTREMITY-BRACHYTHERAPY

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

Showing 1–10 of 11

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 Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

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Respiratory Tract Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

OpenPayer

ICD-10-PCS Code For Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

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Respiratory Tract Brachytherapy 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 Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Respiratory Tract Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

ICD-10-PCS Code For Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Respiratory Tract: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Respiratory Tract Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which procedures are included in the DW1Q code group?

What is the ICD-10-PCS section and operation for DW1Q codes?

Which specific ICD-10-PCS codes are listed in this group?

How does accurate coding in the DW1Q group affect reimbursement?

For what clinical purpose are DW1Q-group procedures typically performed?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which procedures are included in the DW1Q code group?

What is the ICD-10-PCS section and operation for DW1Q codes?

Which specific ICD-10-PCS codes are listed in this group?

How does accurate coding in the DW1Q group affect reimbursement?

For what clinical purpose are DW1Q-group procedures typically performed?

References