Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Question: One of our physicians performed a partial corpectomy at T-11 and a partial corpectomy at T-12. Im not sure how to report this. Should I report a corpectomy and an additional level? If not, how should I code it? Kentucky Subscriber Answer: The answer depends on whether the neurosurgeon performed the corpectomy for an intrinsic bony lesion or for decompression -- and that affects your coding. If the procedure was for a bony lesion, you should use 22112 (Partial excision of vertebral body, for intrinsic bony lesion, without decompression of spinal cord or nerve root[s], single vertebral segment; thoracic) with +22116 (... each additional vertebral segment [List separately in addition to code for primary procedure]). If the neurosurgeon used the corpectomy for decompression, however, you would use 63085 (Vertebral corpectomy [vertebral body resection],partial or complete, transthoracic approach with decompression of spinal cord and/or nerve root[s]; thoracic, single segment) and +63086 [...]