2025 CPT code 78660
Effective Date: N/A Radiology - Nuclear Medicine Feed
Radiopharmaceutical dacryocystography.
Modifiers 26 (Professional Component) and TC (Technical Component) may be used with 78660 to report the professional and technical components of the service separately.
Medical necessity for dacryocystography is established by the presence of signs and symptoms suggestive of lacrimal system dysfunction, such as excessive tearing, recurrent dacryocystitis, or trauma to the face involving the lacrimal system.
The physician instills radiopharmaceutical tracer drops into the patient's eye and then uses a gamma camera to scan the tracer as it moves through the tear duct to pinpoint the location of the obstruction.
In simple words: This procedure uses a special camera to take pictures of your tear ducts after a few drops of a radioactive tracer are placed in your eye. This helps doctors find out if there is a blockage in your tear ducts.
This procedure involves diagnostic nuclear imaging of the lacrimal system. A radioactive tracer is introduced into the eye, followed by imaging with a gamma camera to identify the site of any obstruction.
Example 1: A patient with excessive tearing is referred for a dacryocystography to evaluate for a suspected nasolacrimal duct obstruction., A patient with a history of dacryocystitis undergoes a dacryocystography to assess the functionality of the lacrimal drainage system., Following trauma to the face, a patient undergoes dacryocystography to evaluate for potential damage to the lacrimal ducts.
Documentation should include the medical necessity for the procedure, a detailed description of the procedure performed, including the type and amount of radiopharmaceutical used, and the findings of the imaging study. Images obtained during the procedure should also be documented.
- Specialties:Ophthalmology, Nuclear Medicine, Radiology.
- Place of Service:Office, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center, Independent Clinic.