MRI CPT Codes
Call 855-SAFE-RAD to schedule a radiology exam.
More CPT Codes: CT | Nuclear Medicine | PET/CT | PET/MR | Ultrasound
Premedication for Contrast Allergy
- Patients with hives or rash must be pre-medicated for an IV contrast CT scan (not oral contrast).
- Patients with vomiting or dizziness with IV contrast or shellfish allergy do not require premedication.
- Patients with anaphylaxis or laryngeal edema should be discussed with radiologist before the exam and/or premedication is ordered.
Premedication Protocol
- Prednisone: 50 mg PO (three doses total) to be taken 13 hours, 7 hours and 1 hour prior to appointment.
- Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) (optional): 50 mg PO to be taken 1 hour prior to exam.
Breast/Chest/Cardiac MRI
CPT Code 77049
IMG 2622
- Newly diagnosed breast cancer
- High risk screening for breast cancer
CPT Code 77047
IMG 3252
- Silicone only implant evaluation
CPT Code 77048
IMG 4330 (Left)
IMG 4504 (Right)
CPT Code 77046
IMG 1639 (Left)
IMG 1638 (Right)
CPT Code 71550
IMG 2400
- Lung cancer
- Pleural disease
- Mediastinal/thymic mass
- Chest wall mass
- Pancoast tumor
- Brachial plexus mass/lesion/plexopathy
CPT Code 71550
IMG 2400
- See list of indications for MRI Chest w/ and w/o contrast
- Pectoralis tear (bony chest)
- Patient with renal insufficiency or hemodialysis
- Rib mass/fracture (bony chest)
- Patient pregnant
CPT Code 71555C
IMG 2412
- Pulmonary embolism
- Thoracic aorta
- Suspected dissection
- Post ascending aortic repair
- Follow-up of aortic root dilatation
- Ascending aortic aneurysm
- Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
- Subclavian disease
CPT Code 71555A
IMG 2410
See list of indications for MRA Chest W and W/O Contrast
(Not typically performed without contrast; consult radiologist to discuss alternative imaging)
- Thoracic aorta dissection
- Patient with renal insufficiency or hemodialysis
- Patient pregnant
CPT Code 75561
IMG 2597
- Cardiomyopathy / right ventricular dysplasia
- Congenital heart disease
- Coronary MR angiogram
- Any of the above with valve disease (Add CPT Code 75565 Cardiac MRI for velocity flow mapping)
CPT Code 75557
IMG 2593
- Right ventricular dysplasia
- Patient with renal insuffi ciency or hemodialysis
- Coronary artery disease
- Patient pregnant
CPT Code 75563
IMG 2599
Musculoskeletal MRI
CPT Code 70336
IMG 2315
- Arthritis
- TMJ disc abnormality
- Osteonecrosis (AVN)
CPT Code 70336
IMG 2316
- Arthritis/Synovitis
- Mass/Tumor
CPT Code 71550
IMG 8055
- Rib fracture, costochondral cartilage injury
- Muscle, tendon or nerve injury
CPT Code 71552
IMG 8056
- Mass/Tumor
- Infection
CPT Code 71550
IMG 2400
- See list of indications for MRI Chest w/ and w/o contrast
- Pectoralis tear (bony chest)
- Patient with renal insufficiency or hemodialysis
- Rib mass/fracture (bony chest)
- Patient pregnant
CPT Code 71555C
IMG 2412
- Pulmonary embolism
- Thoracic aorta
- Suspected dissection
- Post ascending aortic repair
- Follow-up of aortic root dilatation
- Ascending aortic aneurysm
- Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
- Subclavian disease
CPT Code 73218
IMG 7721 (Left)
IMG 7720 (Right)
- Fracture
- Muscle, tendon or nerve injury
CPT Code 73220
IMG 7723 (Left)
IMG 7722 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Infection
CPT Code 73218
IMG 2456 (Left)
IMG 2455 (Right)
- Fracture
- Muscle, tendon or nerve injury
CPT Code 73220
IMG 2476 (Left)
IMG 2475 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Infection
CPT Code 73218
IMG 2452 (Left)
IMG 2451 (Right)
- Fracture
- Muscle, tendon or nerve injury
CPT Code 73220
IMG 2472 (Left)
IMG 2471 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Infection
CPT Code 73218
IMG 2454 (Left)
IMG 2453 (Right)
- Fracture
- Muscle, tendon or nerve injury
CPT Code 73220
IMG 2474 (Left)
IMG 2473 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Infection
- Tenosynovitis
CPT Code 73218
IMG 2450 (Left)
IMG 3257 (Right)
- Fracture
- Muscle, tendon or nerve injury
CPT Code 73220
IMG 2470 (Left)
IMG 2469 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Infection
- Tenosynovitis
CPT Code 73221
IMG 2482 (Left)
IMG 2481 (Right)
- Muscle, tendon (rotator cuff) or nerve injury
- Fracture
- Osteoarthritis/Cartilage injury
CPT Code 73222
IMG 2488 (Left)
IMG 2487 (Right)
- Labral (SLAP) tear
- Rotator cuff tear
CPT Code 73223
IMG 2494 (Left)
IMG 2493 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Infection
CPT Code 73221
IMG 2480 (Left)
IMG 2479 (Right)
- Muscle, tendon or nerve injury
- Fracture
CPT Code 73222
IMG 2486 (Left)
IMG 2485 (Right)
- Ligament (UCL) injury
- Osteochondral lesion (OCD)
- Cartilage injury or repair
- Loose body
CPT Code 73223
IMG 2492 (Left)
IMG 2491 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Infection
CPT Code 73221
IMG 2484 (Left)
IMG 2483 (Right)
- Fracture
- Tendon or nerve injury
- Osteonecrosis (AVN)
CPT Code 73222
IMG 2490 (Left)
IMG 2489 (Right)
- Ligament injury
- Triangular fibrocartilage (TFC) complex injury
CPT Code 73223
IMG 2496 (Left)
IMG 2495 (Right)
- Ganglion cyst/mass/tumor
- Infection
- Inflammatory arthritis, tenosynovitis
CPT Code 73223
IMG 2498 (Left)
IMG 2497 (Right)
IMG 2499 (Bilat)
- Inflammatory arthritis, synovitis, erosions
CPT Code 72195
IMG 8053
- Muscle, tendon, or nerve injury
- Fracture, osteonecrosis (AVN)
- Athletic pubalgia, sports hernia
CPT Code 72197
IMG 2438
- Mass/Tumor
- Inflammatory arthritis, synovitis, erosions, sacroiliitis
- Infection
CPT Code 73718
IMG 1392 (Left)
IMG 1389 (Right)
- Fracture
- Muscle, tendon or nerve injury
CPT Code 73720
IMG 2515 (Left)
IMG 2514 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Infection
CPT Code 73718
IMG 3123 (Left)
IMG 3124 (Right)
- Fracture
- Muscle, tendon or nerve injury
CPT Code 73720
IMG 2511 (Left)
IMG 2510 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Infection
CPT Code 73718
IMG 2521 (Left)
IMG 2520 (Right)
- Fracture
- Muscle, ligament (Lisfranc), tendon or nerve injury
CPT Code 73720
IMG 2513 (Left)
IMG 2512 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Infection
CPT Code 73718
IMG 3259 (Left)
IMG 3261 (Right)
- Fracture
- Muscle, tendon or nerve injury
CPT Code 73720
IMG 2517 (Left)
IMG 2516 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Infection
CPT Code 73721
IMG 2529 (Left)
IMG 2528 (Right)
- Muscle, tendon or nerve injury
- Fracture
- Osteonecrosis (AVN)
CPT Code 73722
IMG 2540 (Left)
IMG 2539 (Right)
- Labral tear
- Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI)
CPT Code 73723
IMG 2550 (Left)
IMG 2549 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Infection
CPT Code 73721
IMG 2531 (Left)
IMG 2530 (Right)
- Meniscus, ligament (ACL) tendon or nerve injury
- Fracture
- Osteonecrosis (AVN)
CPT Code 73722
IMG 2542 (Left)
IMG 2541 (Right)
- Meniscus tear or repair
- Cartilage injury or repair
- Osteochondral lesion (OCD)
- Loose body
CPT Code 73723
IMG 2552 (Left)
IMG 2551 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Infection
CPT Code 73721
IMG 2527 (Left)
IMG 2526 (Right)
- Tendon or ligament injury
- Fracture, osteonecrosis (AVN)
- Osteochondral lesion (OCD)
CPT Code 73722
- Osteochondral lesion (OCD)
- Cartilage injury or repair
- Loose body
CPT Code 73723
IMG 2548 (Left)
IMG 2547 (Right)
- Mass/Tumor
- Inflammatory arthritis, tenosynovitis
- Infection
Brain/Spine MRI
Each exam takes about 45 minutes of scanning. For patient comfort, if you are ordering more than one exam please consider scheduling on multiple days.
CPT Code 70551
IMG 2347
- B2 headache/acute trauma/shunt evaluation/stroke/renal insufficiency/hemodialysis
- B3 memory loss/dementia/Alzheimer’s disease/normal pressure hydrocephalus
- Patient pregnant
CPT Code 70553
IMG 2370
- B2 new seizure evaluation (Add CPT Codes 70544 & 70549; MRA Head W/O and MRA Neck w/ and w/o to include angiograms)
- B2 sinus thrombosis (Add CPT Code 70546 MRA/MRV Head W and W/O)
- B2 suspected brain tumor/rule out metastatic disease
- B3 known brain tumor/metastatic disease (includes perfusion and 3-D sequences)
- B12 elevated prolactin levels/pituitary lesions (microadenoma or macroadenoma)
- B6 high resolution temporal lobe/chronic seizures (epileptic) (3T)
- B2 infection/abscess/meningitis/AIDS
- B05 Multiple Sclerosis (3T)
- E9 high resolution skull base/tinnitus/cholesteatoma/sensorineural hearing loss/acoustic
- neuroma/ Bell’s palsy/Meniere’s disease/cranial nerves V, VII-XII
- (E9 does not include whole brain unless specifically requested)
CPT Code 70543
IMG 2326 (Orbits)
IMG 2324 (Face)
IMG 2325 (Neck)
- E1 Orbits – A high resolution exam to include the orbits and optic pathways
- Indications include:
- Graves’ disease – Orbit or eye swelling
- Exophthalmos/proptosis – Optic neuritis/optic nerve lesion/tumor/infection
- Diplopia/double-vision – Cranial nerves I-VI
- Visual field defect – Perineural spread of tumor
- (Add CPT Code 70553 for Brain w/ and w/o if whole brain assessment is also required)
- E3 Face and Paranasal Sinuses – A high-resolution exam of the face and sinuses
- Indications include:
- Sinusitis – Sinonasal cancer
- Known or suspected lesion in oropharynx/nasopharynx/tongue /floor of mouth
- E2 Neck (Soft Tissue) – A survey exam imaging from above the orbits to the thoracic inlet
- Indications include:
- Infection – Neck mass
- Vocal cord paralysis – Adenopathy
- Known or suspected lesion in thyroid/parathyroid/parotid gland
CPT Code 70540
IMG 2320 (Orbits)
IMG 2318 (Face)
IMG 2319 (Neck)
(Not typically performed without contrast; consult radiologist to discuss alternative imaging)
CPT Codes 72156 & 71552
IMG 2409 (Left)
IMG 7584 (Right)
- Evaluate for mass lesions, entrapment or denervation
Each exam is 20-30 minutes. Total spine MRI is rarely well tolerated by patients in pain.
CPT Code 72141 (IMG 2413) – C-Spine
CPT Code 72146 (IMG 2418) – T-Spine
CPT Code 72148 (IMG 2421) – L-Spine
- Pain
- Stenosis
- Trauma/fracture
- Radiculopathy
- Degenerative disc disease
- Syrinx
- Herniated disc
- Post-op evaluation
Each exam is 20-30 minutes. Total spine MRI is rarely well tolerated by patients in pain.
CPT Code 72156 (IMG 2423) – C-Spine
CPT Code 72157 (IMG 2425) – T-Spine
CPT Code 72158 (IMG 2426) – L-Spine
- Infection/discitis
- Epidural abscess or hematoma
- Multiple sclerosis
- Tumor/cancer/metastases
- Myelopathy/transverse myelitis
CPT Codes 72156, 72157, & 72158
IMG 2672
CPT Codes 70546 & 70553
- Known or suspected arteriovenous malformation (Requires MRI Brain w/ and w/o contrast, CPT code 70553) IMG2337
Often combined with MRA Neck and MRI Brain
CPT Code 70544
IMG 2327
- Known or suspected aneurysm
- TIA/stroke
Requires MRI Brain w/ and w/o, CPT code 70553
CPT Codes 70544 & 70553
IMG 2331
- Suspected venous sinus thrombosis
- Venous varix/Galen vein anomalies
- Undetermined vascular malformation
CPT Code 70549
IMG 2346
- Carotid stenosis
- TIA/stroke
- Vascular tumor
- Bruit
- Cerebral vascular accident
- Carotid body tumor
CPT Codes 70554 & 76377 (IMG 2390) – fMRI (Functional MRI w/ Tractography)
CPT Codes 70551 & 76377 (IMG 2649) – Volumetric Imaging (3T)
CPT Codes 70553 & 76377 (IMG 2387) – DTI Brain w/ Tractography
CPT Codes 70553 & 72156 (IMG 2360) – CSF Flow Study
CPT Code 76390 (IMG 2650) – Spectroscopy
Abdomen/Pelvis/Extremity MRI
CPT Code 74181
IMG 2563
See list of indications for MRI Abdomen w/ and w/o contrast
(Not typically performed without contrast; consult radiologist to discuss alternative imaging)
- Patient with renal insufficiency
- Patient pregnant
CPT Code 74183
IMG 2582
- Adrenal lesion characterization IMG 2577
- Renal lesion characterization IMG 2578
- Hemochromatosis
- Body wall mass
- Liver/pancreas lesion characterization (Add 3D CPT Code 76376) IMG 2579 (NPO 4 HOURS)
- Pancreatitis/cholangiocarcinoma
- Dilatation of intrahepatic bile duct/biliary tree/Caroli’s disease/RUQ pain
- Hepatocellular carcinoma /hepatitis/cirrhosis
- Known or suspected liver/pancreatic lesion
- MR enterography/enteroclysis – IMG 2583
- Prep: NPO after midnight; a light diet of liquids is allowed for PM appointments and diabetic patients
- Bowel wall ulcer/thickening/stenosis
- Suspected or known Crohn’s disease
CPT Code 76391
IMG 851 CHG
CPT Codes 74181 & 72195
IMG 2677
See list of indications for MRI Abdomen & Pelvis w/ and w/o contrast
(Not typically performed without contrast; consult radiologist to discuss alternative imaging)
- Patient with renal insufficiency or hemodialysis
- Patient pregnant
CPT Codes 74183 & 72197
IMG 2679
- Metastatic work up
- Abdomen or pelvis neoplasm staging
- MR enterography/enteroclysis with cancer for fistula IMG2678
- MR urogram (evaluation of kidneys, ureters and bladder) IMG7758
- Urinary tract dilation or urinary obstruction
- Transitional cell carcinoma
- Hematuria
CPT Code 72195
IMG 2428
- Uterine anomaly/malformation (body pelvis)
- Muscle/tendon tear/AVN (bony pelvis)
- Pregnant appendicitis/RLQ pain (body pelvis)
- Hip pain/fracture (bony pelvis)
- Patient pregnant
- Pubalgia/sports hernia (bony pelvis) Patient with renal insufficiency
CPT Code 72197
IMG 2438
- Tumor/mass
- Osteomyelitis/septic arthritis
- Lumbosacral plexus mass/lesion/plexopathy
CPT Code 72197
IMG 2429
- Prostate cancer (3T MRI)
- Prep: Dulcolax suppository night before exam, light dinner night before exam, and only clear liquids day of exam
- Endometriosis/endometrial cancer
- Suspected pelvic mass
- Fibroids
- Scrotal/testicular/penile cancer
- Pelvic floor relaxation
- Bladder cancer/rectal cancer
- Hernia (incisional, laparoscopic, ostomy, femoral or inguinal)
- Urethral diverticulum/urethral cancer/ periurethral mass (with endovaginal coil)
- (Patient should be informed, exam requires endovaginal coil to be inserted and remain for entire exam.)
- Cervical cancer (Patient should be informed, exam requires KY to be inserted)
CPT Code 74185A
IMG 2586
See list of indications for MRA Abdomen w/ and w/o contrast
(Not typically performed without contrast; consult radiologist to discuss alternative imaging)
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Patient pregnant
- Patient with renal insufficiency or hemodialysis
CPT Code 74185C
IMG 2588
- Pre stent graft evaluation
- Renal donor evaluation (with MR Urogram)
- Renal artery stenosis
- Mesenteric ischemia
- Post stent graft evaluation
CPT Code 72198
IMG 2447 (MRA)
IMG 8038 (MRV)
See list of indications for MRA/MRV Pelvis w/ and w/o contrast)
(Not typically performed without contrast; consult radiologist to discuss alternative imaging)
- Patient with renal insufficiency
- Patient pregnant
CPT Code 72198
IMG 2448 (MRA)
IMG 2449 (MRV)
- Pelvic deep vein thrombosis
- Pelvic deep vein thrombosis and varicose veins
- (Add CPT Code 73725C MRA Lower Extremity w/ and w/o for MRA/MRV Thigh)
- Leg swelling with suspected pelvic mass
- (Add CPT Code 73725C MRA Lower Extremity w/ and w/o for MRA/MRV Thigh)
CPT Code 73225
IMG 2501 (Left)
IMG 2500 (Right)
- Known or suspected vascular malformation
- Assessment of upper extremity vessels
CPT Codes 74185A &73725A
IMG 2682
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Patient with renal insufficiency or hemodialysis
- Claudication
- Patient pregnant
CPT Codes 74185C & 73725C
IMG 2683
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Known or suspected vascular malformation (requires radiologist consultation)
CPT Code 73725C
IMG 2562 (Left)
IMG 2561 (Right)
- Jaw or face reconstruction/free fibular flap graft
- Popliteal entrapment
CPT Code 73725C
IMG 2558 (Left)
IMG 2557 (Right)
- Jaw or face reconstruction/free fibular flap graft
- Popliteal entrapment
Not all exams are available at all locations.
