AHA Coding Clinic® for HCPCS - 2021 Issue 1; For Your Information

Intra-cerebral venous stent

The Central Office for HCPCS has received questions relating to the advice published in Coding Clinic for HCPCS, First Quarter 2019, page 5, that advised the assignment of CPT code 61635, Transcatheter placement of intravascular stent(s), intracranial (eg, atherosclerotic stenosis), including balloon angioplasty, if performed, for placement of an intra-cerebral venous stent, and whether this code is appropriate when a stent is placed in a vein and not an artery. One question centers around the diagnostic term in the parenthetical in the code descriptor (eg, atherosclerotic stenosis) and in the parenthetical under code 61635 that refers to “arteriography” and “diagnostic arteriogram,” and if these terms indicate CPT code 61635 is intended to be assigned for arterial stents only. Since CPT code 61635 is specific to intracranial intravascular stent placement, is this code the correct code assignment when the stent is placed in either an intra-cerebral artery or a vein? Or is CPT code 37238, Transcatheter placement of an intravascular stent(s), open or percutaneous, including radiological supervision and interpretation and including angioplasty within the same vessel, when performed; initial vein, more appropriate for placement of an intra-cerebral venous stent as it specifies placement in a vein? ...

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