S15.129A Major laceration of unspecified vertebral artery, initial encounter

Billable ICD-10-CM code, FY2026.

Built from S15.129 with 7th character A (initial encounter).

Applies from S15 Injury of blood vessels at neck level

Code also

• any associated open wound (S11.-)

7th character note

• The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S15

7th character required

• A — initial encounter
• D — subsequent encounter
• S — sequela

Applies from S15.12 Major laceration of vertebral artery

Applicable to

• Complete transection of vertebral artery
• Traumatic rupture of vertebral artery

Medicare Code Edits (MCE v43.1 (April 2026))

• Unspecified code (laterality): Unspecified codes for which a more specific code identifying laterality (right, left, bilateral) exists within the same code family.

Code annotations containing back-references to S15.129A

Back-references to S15

• Type 1 Excludes: S09.0 Injury of blood vessels of head, not elsewhere classified ("injury of precerebral blood vessels (S15.-)")
• Use Additional: S17 Crushing injury of neck ("injury of blood vessels (S15.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: S27 Injury of other and unspecified intrathoracic organs ("injury of cervical esophagus (S10-S19)")
• Type 2 Excludes: S27 Injury of other and unspecified intrathoracic organs ("injury of trachea (cervical) (S10-S19)")

Nearby codes

• S15.122 Major laceration of left vertebral artery
• S15.122A Major laceration of left vertebral artery, initial encounter
• S15.122D Major laceration of left vertebral artery, subsequent encounter
• S15.122S Major laceration of left vertebral artery, sequela
• S15.129 Major laceration of unspecified vertebral artery
• S15.129A Major laceration of unspecified vertebral artery, initial encounter (this code)
• S15.129D Major laceration of unspecified vertebral artery, subsequent encounter
• S15.129S Major laceration of unspecified vertebral artery, sequela
• S15.19 Other specified injury of vertebral artery
• S15.191 Other specified injury of right vertebral artery
• S15.191A Other specified injury of right vertebral artery, initial encounter