Neurosurgery Coding Alert
Dig Deep for Dural Repairs
Question: In a patient who had a traumatic fracture of C2 and T2, our surgeon did a fusion from C2 to T6 with repair of dura in the thoracic region. The dura was repaired with DuraGen glue and blood patch. Can you please help us to find an appropriate code for this repair?
Alabama Subscriber
Answer: From the brief clinical scenario described, it is unclear whether the dural repair was necessitated by the procedure itself or as a consequence of the traumatic injury. If the dural injury occurs as a consequence of the surgical lamniectomy, then it should not be separately reported. If a laminectomy is performed specifically to manage a traumatic dural injury, then one may report 63709 (Repair of dural/cerebrospinal fluid leak or pseudomeningocele, with laminectomy).
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