Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Stereotactic procedures use minimally invasive approaches. You should look for stereotactic procedure codes when your surgeon utilizes a three dimensional coordinate system to locate small targets in the body. Your surgeon may then attempt a biopsy, ablation, injection, stimulation, implantation, or a radiosurgery.

Stereotactic approaches are widely utilized for neurosurgical procedures. Advanced image-guided procedures are being employed that utilize computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and stereotactic localization. “Historically, these procedures were performed using a stereotactic frame that was rigidly affixed to the skull to develop the three dimensional coordinates,” says Gregory Przybylski, MD, director of neurosurgery, New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, JFK Medical Center, Edison. “Improvements in imaging and software have led to the development of frameless stereotactic navigation systems, whose utilization has risen dramatically.’