General Surgery Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Find Dedicated Endoscopy Injection Codes

Question: Our surgeon injected India ink to mark a lesion during upper GI endoscopy. How should we code this?

Georgia Subscriber

Answer: You should choose one of the following codes, depending on the type of scope and the extent of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy:

  • 43192 (Esophagoscopy, rigid, transoral; with directed submucosal injection(s), any substance)
  • 43201 (Esophagoscopy, flexible, transoral; with directed submucosal injection(s), any substance)
  • 43236 (Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, flexible, transoral; with directed submucosal injection(s), any substance)

CPT® includes dedicated injection codes that apply when the physician inspects the submucosal area during upper or lower GI endoscopy. The procedure may include injecting any substance, such as a therapeutic drug, India ink to mark a lesion for later identification, or submucosal saline injections to lift a lesion before snare removal.