tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2001 Issue 1

Reader Question: Obstruction Decompression

Question: One of our surgeons recently admitted a patient with an incomplete small bowel obstruction secondary to adhesions. The surgeon performed an exploratory laparotomy, lysis of adhesions and decompression of small bowel obstruction. How would this be coded?Arkansas SubscriberAnswer: A patient may develop adhesions resulting from surgery, radiation, blunt trauma or infection. Because the organs in the abdominal region are tightly packed, the adhesions can cause the small bowel to adhere to itself or other organs, which in turn can cause an obstruction (560.81, other specified intestinal obstruction; intestinal or peritoneal adhesions with obstruction [postoperative] [postinfection]). Given...

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