2025 CPT code 63302
Effective Date: N/A Surgery - Nervous System Feed
Partial or complete excision of a single thoracic vertebra via a thoracolumbar approach for an extradural intraspinal lesion.
Modifiers may be applicable. Modifier 62 is used when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons performing distinct parts of the procedure. Modifier 59 may be used to distinguish the procedure from other procedures performed during the same session.
Medical necessity must be established by demonstrating the presence of an extradural lesion causing spinal cord or nerve root compression that requires surgical intervention. The documentation should support that less invasive procedures are not appropriate or have failed, and that the corpectomy is necessary to alleviate the compression and prevent further neurological deterioration.
The surgeon is responsible for performing the vertebral corpectomy, which involves careful dissection and removal of vertebral bone to access and excise the lesion without damaging the spinal cord or surrounding structures. This includes preoperative planning, intraoperative decision-making regarding the extent of resection and any necessary reconstruction, and postoperative management.
In simple words: The surgeon removes part or all of a vertebra in your upper back to access and remove a growth that is pressing on your spinal cord. This is done through an incision in your back, near your ribs. This procedure helps to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and improve related symptoms. The surgeon approaches the spine through the chest and removes the damaged portion of the vertebra. Sometimes, additional discs or bone may be removed. Reconstruction or additional procedures to stabilize the spine might be performed as a separate step after the corpectomy and can be billed separately.
Vertebral corpectomy (vertebral body resection), partial or complete, for excision of intraspinal lesion, single segment; extradural, thoracic by thoracolumbar approach. This procedure involves the removal of a portion or all of a thoracic vertebra through a thoracolumbar incision to access and excise an extradural lesion affecting the spinal cord. The procedure includes decompression of the spinal cord and/or nerve roots, discectomy, and may also include subsequent reconstruction and instrumentation (reported separately).
Example 1: A patient presents with an extradural tumor compressing the spinal cord at T8. A thoracolumbar approach vertebral corpectomy (63302) is performed to remove the tumor and decompress the spinal cord., A patient has an extradural thoracic disc herniation causing spinal cord compression. A single-level corpectomy (63302) is performed to remove the herniated disc and the affected vertebral body to fully decompress the spinal cord at the involved spinal level., Following a traumatic thoracic vertebral fracture with retropulsed bone fragments into the spinal canal, the patient undergoes a vertebral corpectomy (63302) via thoracolumbar approach to remove the fragments and stabilize the spine.
Documentation should include the operative report detailing the approach (thoracolumbar), the specific vertebra(e) resected, the extent of the corpectomy (partial or complete), the type of lesion (extradural), the method of decompression, any associated procedures performed (e.g., discectomy, reconstruction, instrumentation), and any complications. Pre- and postoperative imaging studies should also be included.
** Ensure documentation clearly specifies the percentage of the vertebral body removed to support the medical necessity of the corpectomy.
- Specialties:Neurosurgery, Orthopedic Surgery
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center