Reader Question:
Location Guides Myelomeningocele Repair Choice
Published on Thu Jun 02, 2011
Question:
Our anesthesiologist provided care during a myelomeningocele repair. I have no information telling what part of the spine (cervical, thoracic, or lumbar/sacral) was affected. What anesthesia code should I choose?Massachusetts Subscriber
Answer:
You need to confirm the affected spinal area before choosing the best code, so ask the anesthesiologist for more details, or request a copy of the operative report. Depending on the repair's anatomic site, you'll choose a surgical code of either 63704 (
Repair of myelomeningocele; less than 5 cm diameter) or 63706 (
...larger than 5 cm diameter). Since the area of the spine is not defined by CPT®, you will need to choose an anesthesia code from 00600 (
Anesthesia for procedures on cervical spine and cord; not otherwise specified), 00620 (
Anesthesia for procedures on thoracic spine and cord; nototherwise specified), or 00630 (
Anesthesia for procedures in lumbar region; not otherwise specified).