AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-9 - 2004 Issue 3; Ask the Editor

Vertebral Stapling for Scoliosis

What is the appropriate procedure code for vertebral stapling? In this example, the patient has progressive adolescent idiopathic scoliosis from T6 to T11, which has progressed to 41 degrees despite brace wear. Two staples were placed so that the staples crossed the disk space into the endplates of the vertebral bodies of T8 and T9 on the lateral. T9-T10 and T10-T11 were approached in a similar fashion. Staples were then placed at the interspace of T6-T7 and in the anterolateral position at T7-T8. Intraoperative radiographs verified that all the staples were in the midline on the lateral view and slightly anterior spanning the intervertebral disk at each space and getting the endplates. ...

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