Wiki Degenerative discovertebral question

[dhann1639]

I was wondering if someone could help me out a diagnosis.

A pt. has a BP shunt placement and RLQ abdomen pain. The pt. has a KUB done. KUB showed that the shut was intact, arteriosclerotic calcification of the iliac and common femoral arteries, and degenerative discovertebral changes.

My question is would I code for the degenerative discovertebral changes?

Thank you for your time and advice.

Deidre Johnson, CPC-A

 

[FractalMind]

I found the below article in Wikipedia, it says that this type of radiograph is NOT only for Kidney, Ureter and Bladder findings...so if the provider incidentally found "Degenerative discovertebral changes" I would code it (as long as it is documented)

"In medicine, KUB refers to a diagnostic medical imaging technique of the abdomen[1] and stands for Kidneys, Ureters, and Bladder.

A KUB is a plain frontal supine radiograph of the abdomen. It is often supplemented by an upright PA view of the chest (to rule out air under the diaphragm or thoracic etiologies presenting as abdominal complaints) and a standing view of the abdomen (to differentiate obstruction from ileus by examining gastrointestinal air/water levels).

[edit] UsesDespite its name, a KUB is not typically used to investigate pathology of the kidneys, ureters, or bladder, since these structures are difficult to assess (for example, the kidneys may not be visible due to overlying bowel gas.) In order to assess these structures radiographically, a technique called an intravenous pyelogram was historically utilized, and today at many institutions CT urography is the technique of choice."