According to Med Learn Ultrasound Coder 2014 page 93: "93880 is a duplex scan of extra cranial arteries; complete bilateral study. These codes are used to report a two-dimensional evaluation of the extra cranial arteries, including real-time and Doppler images, performed to determine the possibility of stenosis or occlusion. Evaluation of the common, external and internal carotids as well as vertebral arteries are included."
"All duplex scans require both color flow Doppler and spectral analysis. If only one of these portions of the study are performed, it should not be coded as a duplex procedure."
As long as both color flow Doppler and spectral analysis were performed and this is a bilateral study, I would code this 93880 just once as vertebral arteries are included with the external carotids.
If this was a limited study or only unilateral, use 93882.
According to the RBMA, buzz words for "Spectral Analysis" are:
Acceleration rate
Bandwidth Broadening
Mono Bi or Tri
Peak Systolic Velocity
Phasicity
Resistive Index (RI)
Spectral Broading
Spectral Doppler
Velocity
Waveform Analysis
Pulsed Doppler
Pulsatility
Have a great day,
Ingrid Moore, CPC
