2025 CPT code 63003
Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Surgery - Surgical Procedures on the Nervous System Feed
Laminectomy with exploration and/or decompression of spinal cord and/or cauda equina, without facetectomy, foraminotomy, or discectomy (e.g., spinal stenosis), one or two vertebral segments; thoracic.
Modifiers may be applicable to 63003 in specific circumstances, such as increased procedural services (modifier 22), multiple procedures (modifier 51), or staged/related procedures (modifier 58).
Medical necessity for 63003 is established by demonstrating symptomatic spinal stenosis or nerve compression in the thoracic spine that has not responded to conservative treatment and is impacting the patient's quality of life.
The surgeon removes the spinous process and lamina(e) of the affected thoracic vertebra(e) to decompress the spinal cord and/or cauda equina. The procedure focuses on relieving pressure on the nerves in the specified area.
In simple words: This procedure removes a small portion of bone from the back of your spine in the chest area to relieve pressure on your spinal cord and/or nerves. It's done when there's narrowing in the spinal canal (spinal stenosis). The surgery doesn't include removing parts of the facet joints or creating openings for the nerves to exit.
This procedure involves a laminectomy of one or two thoracic vertebral segments. It includes exploration and/or decompression of the spinal cord and/or cauda equina.It does not include a facetectomy, foraminotomy, or discectomy.
Example 1: A patient presents with thoracic spinal stenosis causing pain and weakness. A laminectomy (63003) is performed to decompress the spinal cord and relieve the symptoms., A patient with a herniated thoracic disc causing nerve compression undergoes a laminectomy (63003) to access and decompress the affected nerve root., A patient has a tumor in the thoracic spinal canal. A laminectomy (63003) is performed to remove the tumor and decompress the spinal cord.
Documentation should include the diagnosis, the specific levels of the thoracic spine involved, operative report detailing the procedure, and any associated procedures performed.
- Specialties:Neurosurgery, Orthopedic Surgery
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center