Other specified injury of left vertebral artery, sequela

This code signifies a long-term complication or residual effect stemming from a previously sustained, explicitly identified injury to the left vertebral artery. This could include chronic pain, neurological deficits, or vascular compromise directly attributable to the original trauma.

Apply this code when documenting a patient presenting with a current condition that is a direct consequence of an old, resolved injury to the left vertebral artery. Documentation must clearly link the current sequela to the past vertebral artery injury, often through a history of trauma and subsequent diagnostic findings.

• Always sequence this sequela code after the code for the specific nature of the sequela (e.g., chronic pain, neurological deficit).
• Ensure documentation specifies "left" vertebral artery; otherwise, an unspecified laterality code may be more appropriate.
• Verify the injury is "other specified" and not a dissection, laceration, or puncture, which have more specific codes.