2025 CPT code 22843
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Surgical Procedures on the Musculoskeletal System - Spine (Vertebral Column) Surgery Feed
Posterior segmental instrumentation (e.g., pedicle fixation, dual rods with multiple hooks and sublaminar wires) for 7 to 12 vertebral segments. This code is reported in addition to the primary procedure.
Modifier 51 might be applicable if reported with other definitive procedures. Modifier 62 is not applicable.
Medical necessity for 22843 must be supported by documentation of the underlying condition requiring surgical intervention (e.g., spinal deformity, instability, fracture) and justification for the use of posterior segmental instrumentation to achieve stabilization during the primary procedure.
The surgeon performs this procedure after prepping and anesthetizing the patient, during a spinal surgery. It involves identifying the target vertebrae, detaching tissues/ligaments, drilling the posterior cortex near the pedicle, placing screws into the pedicle and vertebral body under imaging guidance. Hooks and clamps may be applied to transverse processes and laminae. Rods/plates are shaped and secured to the segmental fixation with nuts/screws. Alignment is checked via imaging, and the primary procedure is completed.
In simple words: The surgeon places specialized hardware like rods, screws, hooks, and wires along the back of your spine to stabilize it. This procedure usually accompanies a spinal fusion and helps correct spinal deformities or treat instability across 7 to 12 vertebrae.
This procedure involves the insertion of spinal instrumentation at the posterior aspect of the spine, spanning 7 to 12 vertebral segments. It often utilizes pedicle fixation, dual rods, multiple hooks, and/or sublaminar wires.It is used to stabilize the spine during procedures like spinal fusion (arthrodesis), aiming to correct deformities or address instability. This code is an add-on code and should always be reported in conjunction with a primary procedure code.
Example 1: A patient undergoes posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis from T4 to T12.The surgeon places pedicle screws and rods across the affected segments, which would be reported using the primary procedure code along with 22843., Following a traumatic spinal fracture at the thoracolumbar junction involving T11-L3, a fusion with segmental instrumentation is performed to stabilize the spine. Code 22843 would be reported alongside the fracture treatment and fusion codes., A patient with multilevel degenerative disc disease undergoes a combined anterior-posterior spinal fusion, with posterior segmental instrumentation at L1-L5. Code 22843 is reported along with the primary fusion codes.
Documentation must include details of the primary procedure, the specific vertebral levels instrumented (7-12 segments), the type of instrumentation used (e.g., pedicle screws, rods, hooks, wires), and intraoperative imaging reports confirming placement and alignment.
- Revenue Code: P3D
- Payment Status: Active
- Specialties:Orthopedic Surgery, Neurosurgery
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center