I63.49 Cerebral infarction due to embolism of other cerebral artery

ICD-10-CM I63.49: Cerebral infarction due to embolism of other cerebral artery

ICD-10-CM code I63.49 represents cerebral infarction due to embolism of other cerebral artery, classifying this diagnosis as a disease or syndrome. The code is active and falls under the parent category of cerebral infarctions due to embolism of cerebral arteries. This reference summarizes terminology records and code lists to explain the code. 1 5

Plain-language overview

ICD-10-CM code I63.49 identifies a medical diagnosis classified as a disease or syndrome, specifically an active terminology record for a cerebral infarction caused by an embolism in a cerebral artery. 1

What this code represents

The official preferred name for I63.49 is cerebral infarction due to embolism of other cerebral artery, and this exact terminology is maintained as an active concept within the ICD-10-CM version 2026 system. 1

Code I63.49 is a narrower concept nested under the parent code I63.4, which broadly categorizes cerebral infarctions resulting from embolisms occurring in the cerebral arteries. 1

Coding details

The code I63.49 is explicitly listed alongside other specific cerebrovascular occlusion codes, such as I63.511, within distributed ischemic stroke code lists used for surveillance and tracking. 5

Code I63.49 is distinct from codes like I63.19, because I63.19 designates an embolism in a precerebral artery, whereas I63.49 specifies an embolism in another cerebral artery. 6

Documentation considerations

Clinical documentation for cardioembolic cerebral infarctions notes that a major cardiac source of embolism without significant arterial disease forms the mainstay of clinical diagnosis for this condition. 2

Clinical context

Clinical literature establishes that cardioembolic cerebral infarctions predominate in the distribution territories of the carotid and the middle cerebral artery, and can produce posterior circulation syndromes. 2

What the sources add

While a terminology record defines the official disease classification for I63.49, clinical literature provides operational context regarding the major cardiac sources and vascular territories involved in cardioembolic events. 1 2

A Medicare billing article references distinct codes for paradoxical cerebral embolism and other precerebral artery infarctions, illustrating that coverage documents distinguish between various embolism locations. 3

Sources

1. ICD-10-CM I63.49 terminology record — National Cancer Institute Enterprise Vocabulary Services; accessed 2026-07-27.
2. Acute Cardioembolic Cerebral Infarction: Answers to Clinical Questions* — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-27.
3. Article - Billing and Coding: Non-Invasive Cerebrovascular Arterial Studies (A52992) — cms.gov; accessed 2026-07-27.
4. 448 Computed Tomography Perfusion Imaging of the Brain — bluecrossma.org; accessed 2026-07-27.
5. Disclaimer — sentinelinitiative.org; accessed 2026-07-27.
6. Coding: ICD-10-CM Section I60-I69 — imedicalcode.com; accessed 2026-07-27.