2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code G51.0

Bell's palsy

ICD-10-CM Code:
G51.0
ICD-10 Code for:
Bell's palsy
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Not chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Diseases of the nervous system
    (G00–G99)
    • Nerve, nerve root and plexus disorders
      (G50-G59)
      • Facial nerve disorders
        (G51)

G51.0 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of bell's palsy. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

Approximate Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

  • Acute mastoiditis
  • Acute mastoiditis with facial paralysis
  • Autoimmune movement disorder
  • Bell's palsy
  • Bell's palsy
  • Bells palsy of left side of face
  • Bells palsy of right side of face
  • Congenital disorder of facial nerve
  • Congenital facial nerve palsy
  • Congenital hereditary facial paralysis with variable hearing loss syndrome
  • Disorder of left facial nerve
  • Disorder of right facial nerve
  • Facial diplegia with paresthesia
  • Facial nerve motor disorder
  • Facial palsy
  • Facial palsy House-Brackmann grade I
  • Facial palsy House-Brackmann grade II
  • Facial palsy House-Brackmann grade III
  • Facial palsy House-Brackmann grade IV
  • Facial palsy House-Brackmann grade V
  • Facial palsy House-Brackmann grade VI
  • Familial facial nerve palsy
  • Familial recurrent peripheral facial palsy
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome
  • House-Brackmann facial nerve grade finding
  • House-Brackmann facial nerve grade finding
  • House-Brackmann facial nerve grade finding
  • House-Brackmann facial nerve grade finding
  • House-Brackmann facial nerve grade finding
  • House-Brackmann facial nerve grade finding
  • Nuclear facial nerve paralysis
  • Peripheral facial palsy
  • Sellars Beighton syndrome
  • Supranuclear facial nerve paralysis
  • Supranuclear paralysis

Clinical Classification

Clinical Information

  • Congenital Facial Nerve Palsy

    partial or complete paralysis of the facial muscles of one side of an individual's face that is present at birth. it is caused by damage to the seventh cranial nerve.

Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries

The following annotation back-references are applicable to this diagnosis code. The Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries is a list of ICD-10-CM codes, organized "head to toe" into chapters and sections with coding notes and guidance for inclusions, exclusions, descriptions and more.


Inclusion Terms

Inclusion Terms
These terms are the conditions for which that code is to be used. The terms may be synonyms of the code title, or, in the case of "other specified" codes, the terms are a list of the various conditions assigned to that code. The inclusion terms are not necessarily exhaustive. Additional terms found only in the Alphabetic Index may also be assigned to a code.
  • Facial palsy

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

The following annotation back-references for this diagnosis code are found in the injuries and diseases index. The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM code(s).

Convert G51.0 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: 351.0 - Bell's palsy

Patient Education


Bell's Palsy

Bell's palsy is the most common cause of facial paralysis. It usually affects just one side of the face. Symptoms appear suddenly and are at their worst about 48 hours after they start. They can range from mild to severe and include:

  • Twitching
  • Weakness
  • Paralysis
  • Drooping eyelid or corner of mouth
  • Drooling
  • Dry eye or mouth
  • Excessive tearing in the eye
  • Impaired ability to taste

Scientists think that a viral infection makes the facial nerve swell or become inflamed. You are most likely to get Bell's palsy if you are pregnant, diabetic or sick with a cold or flu.

Three out of four patients improve without treatment. With or without treatment, most people begin to get better within 2 weeks and recover completely within 3 to 6 months.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.

Footnotes

[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.