Wiki split thickness graft with closure/repair

wynonna

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Is split thickness considered intermediate or complex closure? Graft with 5 cm 10cm came from patient's own leg to his turbinates or intranasal cavity.
Do I multiply 5 x 10 for total cm?
Is repair for split thickness intermediate or complex?
thank you
 
CPT codes for Split thickness graft are different from the codes for intermediate or complex closure. In this scenario, the appropriate CPT code is 15120- Split-thickness autograft, face, scalp, eyelids, mouth, neck, ears, orbits, genitalia, hands, feet, and/or multiple digits; first 100 sq cm or less, or 1% of body area of infants and children.
Hope this helps
Thank you
 
15120 is for a graft used as skin replacement in an integumentary procedure. For a skin graft used for an intranasal or turbinate procedure, you may want to consider 20926. It's hard to advise on the coding in this scenario though without seeing the complete operative report. Are you able to give more detail?
 
So your surgeon took a split thickness skin graft from the leg and applied to the intranasal cavity? can you share the operative note? What was the diagnosis? was there no tissue left to to extensive resection? Technically there is no STSG code for the intranasal cavity, so I am confused as to what they are doing.

With regards to STSG's, these grafts are to close a wound that you cannot suture, hence the need for a graft, it is not defined by intermediate or complex but by the size of the graft needed and the body area to which it is being applied to. The answer to your question is yes, 5 x 10 cm = 50 sq cm, therefore your STSG codes are up to the first 100 sq cm with add on codes for each addt'l 100 sq cm. Of course if your are dealing with infants and children body area percentage rules apply as indicated in CPT.

Let me know as I am curious as to this procedure and what was actually done.
 
Last edited:
Thank you. Procedure title: Partial glossectomy with wide local excision, floor of mouth. AND
Leg split-thickness skin graft, 5cm x 4 cm.
 
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