Occlusion and stenosis of other cerebral arteries

This code signifies a partial or complete blockage or narrowing of cerebral arteries other than the middle, anterior, or posterior cerebral arteries. This can lead to reduced blood flow to the brain, potentially causing ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). The specific affected artery would be documented as "other" when not falling into the more common categories.

Use this code when documentation specifies occlusion or stenosis of cerebral arteries such as the ophthalmic, cerebellar, or other less common intracranial arteries. This applies when the physician explicitly identifies the affected artery as "other cerebral artery" or specifies an artery not covered by I66.0-I66.3. Supporting documentation includes imaging reports (e.g., MRA, CTA, angiography) and physician notes detailing the location of the arterial compromise.

• Ensure the documentation clearly specifies an "other" cerebral artery and not one of the more common cerebral arteries (middle, anterior, posterior) which have their own specific codes.
• Do not use this code if the occlusion/stenosis is in the carotid or vertebral arteries; those have separate code categories (I65.-).
• Always sequence this code as a secondary diagnosis when an acute cerebral infarction (I63.-) or TIA (G45.-) is also present and directly caused by this occlusion/stenosis.