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

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) code group DW1X includes procedures performed to deliver brachytherapy to tissues or structures in the upper extremity. These ICD-10-PCS codes are used for inpatient documentation when internal radiation sources are placed or removed to treat lesions or tumors of the upper extremity. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-PCS DW1X group is essential for proper inpatient reimbursement, as it captures the procedure performed and supports clinical documentation accuracy.

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Upper Extremity Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

This procedure group includes brachytherapy interventions delivered to the upper extremity anatomical region and targets tissues and structures of the anatomical regions body system. Procedures involve placement or delivery of radiation sources directly to or near the treatment site in the upper extremity to treat malignant or selected benign conditions. Accurate ICD-10-PCS coding of these brachytherapy procedures ensures inpatient records reflect the exact operation and body part treated, which affects clinical documentation and inpatient reimbursement.

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
D	Section	Radiation Therapy
W	Body System	Anatomical Regions
1	Operation	Brachytherapy
X	Body Part	Upper Extremity

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

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Upper Extremity 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
X	Body Part	Upper Extremity

When to Use

Use codes from this group when internal radiation sources are intentionally delivered to or removed from tissues of the upper extremity during an inpatient encounter. Assign these codes when documentation specifies brachytherapy as the operation and identifies the upper extremity as the body part treated.

ICD-10-PCS Codes

2 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
DW1XBB1	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Upper Extremity using Palladium 103 (Pd-103), Unidirectional Source
DW1XBBZ	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Upper Extremity using Palladium 103 (Pd-103)

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly patient with a biopsy-proven localized soft-tissue sarcoma of the forearm is admitted for definitive local therapy following multidisciplinary tumor board recommendation. Because the tumor is small, well-defined, and close to critical structures, intraoperative placement of low-dose-rate palladium-103 unidirectional seeds is performed to deliver targeted radiation while preserving surrounding tissue. The procedure is documented as brachytherapy to the upper extremity. Typical codes: DW1XBB1
A middle-aged patient presents to the hospital urgently with a rapidly growing recurrent cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the hand after prior wide excision, and the multidisciplinary team opts for inpatient placement of localized internal radiation to control the lesion and reduce need for further extensive resection. Low-dose-rate palladium-103 unidirectional sources are implanted adjacent to the recurrent tumor to provide concentrated radiation to the affected upper extremity tissue. The admission is for delivery of brachytherapy targeted to the hand. Typical codes: DW1XBB1
A patient previously treated with implanted low-dose-rate palladium-103 seeds in the forearm returns for removal and adjustment due to seed migration causing focal skin ulceration and persistent local symptoms. Inpatient surgical removal and exchange or repositioning of the palladium-103 low-dose-rate sources are performed to resolve the complication and continue appropriate localized therapy. The procedure is documented as brachytherapy source removal in the upper extremity. Typical codes: DW1XBBZ

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

DW1Q-RESPIRATORY-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY

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

DW1R-GENITOURINARY-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY-GENITOURINARY-TRACT

ICD-10-PCS Code For Genitourinary Tract: 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
DW1XBB1	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Upper Extremity using Palladium 103 (Pd-103), Unidirectional Source
DW1XBBZ	Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy of Upper Extremity using Palladium 103 (Pd-103)

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An elderly patient with a biopsy-proven localized soft-tissue sarcoma of the forearm is admitted for definitive local therapy following multidisciplinary tumor board recommendation. Because the tumor is small, well-defined, and close to critical structures, intraoperative placement of low-dose-rate palladium-103 unidirectional seeds is performed to deliver targeted radiation while preserving surrounding tissue. The procedure is documented as brachytherapy to the upper extremity. Typical codes: DW1XBB1
A middle-aged patient presents to the hospital urgently with a rapidly growing recurrent cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the hand after prior wide excision, and the multidisciplinary team opts for inpatient placement of localized internal radiation to control the lesion and reduce need for further extensive resection. Low-dose-rate palladium-103 unidirectional sources are implanted adjacent to the recurrent tumor to provide concentrated radiation to the affected upper extremity tissue. The admission is for delivery of brachytherapy targeted to the hand. Typical codes: DW1XBB1
A patient previously treated with implanted low-dose-rate palladium-103 seeds in the forearm returns for removal and adjustment due to seed migration causing focal skin ulceration and persistent local symptoms. Inpatient surgical removal and exchange or repositioning of the palladium-103 low-dose-rate sources are performed to resolve the complication and continue appropriate localized therapy. The procedure is documented as brachytherapy source removal in the upper extremity. Typical codes: DW1XBBZ

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

DW1Q-RESPIRATORY-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY

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

DW1R-GENITOURINARY-TRACT-BRACHYTHERAPY-GENITOURINARY-TRACT

ICD-10-PCS Code For Genitourinary Tract: 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.

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

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

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Upper Extremity Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

OpenPayer

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

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Upper Extremity 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 Upper Extremity: Procedure Code Group Overview

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

Upper Extremity Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

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

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

Upper Extremity Brachytherapy Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which procedures are included in the ICD-10-PCS DW1X code group for the upper extremity?

What is the section, body system, and operation attributes for DW1X codes?

How should coders use `DW1XBB1` and `DW1XBBZ` when documenting inpatient care?

Do DW1X codes apply to external beam radiation therapy to the upper extremity?

Are there related DRGs listed for the DW1X upper extremity brachytherapy codes?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which procedures are included in the ICD-10-PCS DW1X code group for the upper extremity?

What is the section, body system, and operation attributes for DW1X codes?

How should coders use `DW1XBB1` and `DW1XBBZ` when documenting inpatient care?

Do DW1X codes apply to external beam radiation therapy to the upper extremity?

Are there related DRGs listed for the DW1X upper extremity brachytherapy codes?

References