A 52-year-old man has a chemodectoma (also known as a carotid body tumor) that is aggressive. It is recommended to have this removed. Because of how aggressive it is, the carotid artery is also excised. What CPT code should be used for this procedure?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

60605 is the correct code for excision of both the carotid body tumor and the carotid artery.
Code 60600 is incorrect because this code is for just the excision of the carotid body tumor and does not involve excision of the carotid artery. Code 61703 is incorrect because this code is for surgery of intracranial aneurysm, including application of an occluding clamp to the carotid artery. Code 61705 is incorrect because this code is for an aneurysm surgery of a vascular malformation by intracranial and cervical occlusion of the carotid artery.

A 52-Year-Old Man Has a Chemodectoma (Also Known as a Carotid