2025 CPT code 22533
Effective Date: N/A Surgery - Spine (Vertebral Column) Feed
Arthrodesis, lateral extracavitary technique, including minimal discectomy to prepare interspace (other than for decompression); lumbar.
Modifiers, such as 54 (Surgical care only), 62 (Two surgeons), 76 (Repeat procedure by same physician), or 77 (Repeat procedure by another physician), may be applicable depending on the specific circumstances.
Medical necessity for this procedure must be established through documentation supporting the diagnosis that indicates the need for surgical fusion. Conservative treatments, such as physical therapy and pain management, should have been attempted without relieving the patient’s symptoms. Imaging studies should show instability, pain, neurologic dysfunction.
The surgeon makes an incision on the patient's side, accesses the lumbar spine, removes a small amount of disc material, and then places a bone graft to promote fusion between the vertebrae.
In simple words: This procedure fuses together bones in your lower back, using an approach from the side without going through the chest. A small portion of the disc between the bones is removed to prepare the area for fusion.
This code describes a surgical procedure to fuse a single lumbar vertebral segment using a lateral extracavitary approach. It includes a minimal discectomy to prepare the interspace for fusion, but it does not include decompression of the spinal cord and/or nerve roots. The approach is from the side, without entering the chest cavity.
Example 1: A 50-year-old patient with degenerative disc disease at L4-L5 undergoes arthrodesis using a lateral extracavitary technique to fuse the affected vertebrae., A 35-year-old patient with spondylolisthesis at L5-S1 undergoes this procedure to stabilize the spine., A patient injured in a car accident undergoes arthrodesis using a lateral extracavitary technique following a burst fracture in their lumbar spine.
Documentation should include the diagnosis necessitating the procedure, the specific surgical approach used, the level of the spine involved, details of the discectomy and fusion, type of bone graft used, operative report, and any complications encountered.
** For additional vertebral segments fused during the same procedure, use add-on code 22534. For fusion with decompression, refer to other relevant codes.
- Specialties:Orthopedic Surgery, Neurosurgery
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center