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General Surgery Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Harvesting Saphenous Vein

Published on Fri Mar 01, 2002

Question: Is there a code for harvesting the contralateral saphenous vein before performing a femoral-tibial bypass graft? Only one segment of vein is harvested and no prosthetic is used, so this is not a composite graft and no arm vein is taken.
     
Pennsylvania Subscriber  
Answer: The correct code for the procedure (35556, Bypass graft, with vein; femoral-popliteal) includes the harvesting of vein. The harvesting of vein from the leg is always included in any lower-extremity bypass graft. If vein is harvested from the arm, it may be reported separately using 35500 (Harvest of upper extremity vein, one segment, for lower extremity or coronary artery bypass procedure [list separately in addition to code for primary procedure]).
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