2025 CPT code 35231
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Surgery - Surgical Procedures on the Cardiovascular System Surgery Feed
Repair of a blood vessel in the neck using a vein graft.
Modifiers may apply depending on the circumstances of the procedure.Consult the CPT manual for specific modifier usage and guidelines.
Medical necessity is established by the presence of a hemodynamically significant lesion of a neck blood vessel that requires repair to prevent or treat ischemia or other complications.Documentation should demonstrate that conservative measures were deemed inadequate or unsuccessful.
The surgeon is responsible for all aspects of the procedure, from prepping the patient and making incisions to harvesting the graft (if needed), repairing the vessel, and closing the incisions.They must ensure hemostasis and monitor blood flow post-repair.
In simple words: The doctor repairs a damaged blood vessel in the neck using a piece of vein from another part of the body. This involves making incisions, carefully moving tissues aside, attaching the vein piece to repair the damaged blood vessel, and closing the incisions.
This CPT code encompasses the surgical repair of an abnormal or damaged blood vessel in the neck using a vein graft.The procedure involves prepping and anesthetizing the patient, making an incision to access the damaged vessel, dissecting and manipulating surrounding tissues and vessels, controlling bleeding, harvesting a vein graft (if necessary), clamping the neck vessel, suturing the graft in place, checking blood flow (e.g., using a Doppler probe), and closing the incision.The harvested vein may be the saphenous vein from the leg.
Example 1: A patient presents with a traumatic injury to the carotid artery resulting in a significant tear. The surgeon uses this code to describe the repair of the carotid artery using a saphenous vein graft harvested from the patient's leg., A patient is diagnosed with a significant stenosis in the internal jugular vein. The surgeon uses this code to describe the repair of the stenosis in the internal jugular vein with a vein graft., A patient presents with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the neck region, necessitating the repair of a damaged artery and vein. The surgeon uses this code to describe the repair, including the use of a vein graft from a different location.
* Preoperative and postoperative diagnoses and assessment* Detailed operative report including the type of graft used, the location and extent of the repair, and intraoperative findings* Images (e.g., angiograms) showing the vessel before and after the repair* Blood flow assessment post-procedure (e.g., Doppler studies)* Pathology report if a biopsy was taken
** This code is used for the repair of blood vessels in the neck.The use of a vein graft is an integral part of this procedure.The location and extent of the repair should be clearly documented.If additional procedures are performed, these should also be coded separately.
- Revenue Code: P2F (MAJOR PROCEDURE, CARDIOVASCULAR - OTHER)
- Payment Status: Active
- Specialties:Vascular Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center