Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Question: How do we bill the following procedure our surgeon did:

"Right temporal craniotomy with reconstruction of the petrous ridge with a bone cement and duraplasty with microscopic assistance."  

Maryland Subscriber

Answer: There is insufficient information provided to understand the type of procedure performed. For example, was the craniotomy performed for excision of a menigioma or a different type of tumor? Was the craniotomy performed for treatment of an open depressed skull fracture with dural repair? In general, the dural repair and bony reconstruction are bundled services with the craniotomy procedure used.