AHA Coding Clinic® for HCPCS - 2024 Issue 1; Ask the Editor

Microlaryngoscopy with vocal cord fat injection

A patient with dysphonia presented for fat injections into the vocal cords. A mouth guard was placed and a Dedo laryngoscope was used to directly visualize the glottis. No abnormalities were noted on the vocal folds. General anesthesia was induced and the patient prepped for abdominal fat graft harvest. A stab incision was made inferior to the umbilicus. A cannula with an attached syringe was used to harvest about 25cc of fat. The harvested fat was rinsed, the tissue minced with scissors and loaded into the injector device. The stab incision was closed in simple interrupted fashion, and steri-strips were applied. The patient was then placed in suspension with a view of the bilateral vocal folds. The previously harvested fat was injected into the true vocal folds until adequate medialization of the vocal folds was achieved. At this time, the laryngoscope and mouth guard were removed.What is the correct code assignment for fat injection into the vocal cords via a suspension microlaryngoscopy with fat harvested from the abdomen via suction? Is the fat harvesting separately reported? ...

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