Question 1

A 74-year-old man with pancreatic cancer is going to have his celiac plexus nerve destroyed by a neurolytic agent without radiologic monitoring, to help with the intense pain that is caused by his cancer. What is the correct code for this procedure?

Accepted Answer

64680 is the correct code for destruction of the celiac plexus nerve by neurolytic agent with or without radiologic monitoring.
Code 64646 is incorrect because this code is for the chemodenervation of trunk muscles. Code 64650 is incorrect because this code is for the chemodenervation of eccrine glands. Code 64681 is incorrect because this is the code for the destruction of the superior hypogastric plexus.

Question 2

A middle-age man, who has significant peptic ulcers, is going to have a vagotomy to help reduce stomach acid production. He is going to have the vagus nerve transected using an abdominal approach. What is the correct code for this procedure?

Accepted Answer

64760 is the correct code for the transection of the vagus nerve (vagotomy) using an abdominal approach.
Code 64755 is incorrect because this is the code for transection of the vagus nerves limited to the proximal stomach. Codes 64763 and 64766 are both incorrect because these codes involve the transection of the obturator nerves.

Quiz 2: Series

A 74-year-old man with pancreatic cancer is going to have his celiac plexus nerve destroyed by a neurolytic agent without radiologic monitoring, to help with the intense pain that is caused by his cancer. What is the correct code for this procedure?

A middle-age man, who has significant peptic ulcers, is going to have a vagotomy to help reduce stomach acid production. He is going to have the vagus nerve transected using an abdominal approach. What is the correct code for this procedure?