Otolaryngology Coding Alert
Look to 42810 for Excision of Preauricular Pit Including Cartilage
Question: The surgeon made an elliptical incision around the preauricular pit and down through the subcutaneous tissue. He dissected the pit down to the helical rim and removed a portion of the cartilage. Once the pit was excised, he closed the wound with 5-0 Monocryl deep suture, 6-0 fast absorbing gut to close the skin and Dermabond. What is the correct code for this procedure?
Massachusetts Subscriber
Answer: You should submit code 42810 (Excision branchial cleft cyst or vestige, confined to skin and subcutaneous tissues). If the excision is deeper than the subcutaneous tissue, report 42815 (Excision branchial cleft cyst, vestige, or fistula, extending beneath subcutaneous tissues and/or into pharynx).
Preauricular pit is also known as a “preauricular cyst” and is a common congenital malformation characterized by a nodule located anywhere adjacent to the external ear. It results from developmental defects of the first and second branchial arches.
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