2025 CPT code 64872
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Deletion Date: N/A Surgery - Neurorrhaphy Procedures Surgical Procedures on the Extracranial Nerves, Peripheral Nerves, and Autonomic Nervous System Feed
Suture of a nerve requiring secondary or delayed suture; add-on code used with 64831-64865.
Modifiers may be applicable depending on the circumstances of the procedure.Consult the CPT guidelines for appropriate modifier usage.
Medical necessity for delayed nerve repair must be documented.Examples include instability of the patient's condition at the time of initial injury, the presence of an infected or contaminated wound, or the severity of the injury itself.The rationale for delay needs to be supported by the patient's medical record.
The surgeon is responsible for pre-operative assessment, surgical planning, performing the nerve repair, ensuring proper wound closure, post-operative care instructions, and follow-up assessment.
- Surgical Procedures on the Extracranial Nerves, Peripheral Nerves, and Autonomic Nervous System
- Surgical Procedures on the Extracranial Nerves, Peripheral Nerves, and Autonomic Nervous System; Neurorrhaphy Procedures
In simple words: This code describes a surgical procedure to repair a damaged nerve.The repair is done later than usual, perhaps because of the patient's condition, an infection, or a severe injury. The doctor will carefully sew the nerve back together to restore feeling and/or movement.
This CPT code, 64872, represents the surgical repair of a nerve that has been delayed due to various factors, such as the patient's condition, wound contamination, infection, severe injury (traction or crushing), delayed presentation of the injury, or a prolonged interval between injury and seeking care.The procedure involves accessing the injured nerve (through an existing wound or incision), trimming damaged nerve ends and scar tissue to expose healthy nerve fibers, meticulously suturing the healthy ends together (without tension), and closing the wound.If the nerve has both motor and sensory functions, the surgeon will carefully suture groups of nerve fibers.
Example 1: A patient presents to the emergency room 3 days after a motorcycle accident with a severed median nerve in the arm.Due to initial concerns regarding the patient's overall condition, nerve repair was delayed.Code 64872 is used in addition to the primary nerve repair code., A patient sustains a deep laceration to the leg with nerve damage.Initial treatment focused on wound debridement and infection control. Two weeks later, after infection cleared, a delayed nerve repair was performed.Code 64872 is used in conjunction with the primary repair code., A patient undergoes an initial exploration of a nerve injury during a trauma surgery.Due to the complexity and the patient's unstable condition, a secondary nerve repair was scheduled for a later date.Code 64872 will be added to the initial exploration code and the definitive nerve repair.
* Pre-operative diagnosis and clinical indications for surgery* Detailed operative report describing the nerve repair technique, including the approach, nerve identification, and the specific details of nerve repair* Post-operative notes documenting the patient's recovery and any complications* Imaging studies (e.g., nerve conduction studies, MRI) to document the extent of nerve injury* Medical necessity documentation supporting the delay in nerve repair
** Accurate coding requires careful review of the operative report and supporting documentation to ensure appropriate selection of both the primary and add-on codes.Always consult the current CPT manual and other reliable coding resources to ensure adherence to current guidelines.
- Revenue Code: P5E (AMBULATORY PROCEDURES - OTHER)
- RVU: Information not available in provided source.Consult the current year's CPT codebook or a medical billing resource for RVU values.
- Global Days: Information not provided.The global period will vary depending on the primary procedure code used in conjunction with 64872.
- Payment Status: Active
- Modifier TC rule: Modifier -TC (Technical Component) may or may not apply depending on the circumstances of the service, consult appropriate coding resources and guidelines for this information.
- Fee Schedule: Historical fee schedule data is not available in the provided source.Consult a reliable medical billing resource for historical fee schedule information.
- Specialties:Neurosurgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Hand Surgery
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center