2025 CPT code 37234
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Surgery - Surgical Procedures on the Cardiovascular System Surgery Feed
Add-on code for revascularization of each additional unilateral tibial or peroneal artery using an endovascular, open, or percutaneous approach with transluminal stent placement, including angioplasty if performed.
Modifiers may be applicable based on the specific circumstances of the procedure.Refer to CPT guidelines for modifier usage.
Medical necessity for this procedure is established by the presence of significant stenosis or occlusion in the tibial or peroneal arteries resulting in compromised blood flow to the lower extremity.This may be documented through clinical symptoms (claudication, rest pain, non-healing ulcers), ankle-brachial index (ABI), and angiographic findings.
The clinical responsibility includes accessing the diseased vessel (open or percutaneous approach), inserting a catheter stent system, placing and expanding the stent, confirming placement with an angioscope, and controlling bleeding.
In simple words: This code is for extra work done to open blocked arteries in the leg.It's only used if the doctor already did a similar procedure on a main artery and needs to work on another smaller one in the same leg.The doctor uses a small tube and a tiny mesh tube (stent) to open the artery and improve blood flow.
This add-on code, 37234, reports revascularization of each additional unilateral tibial or peroneal artery.The procedure involves restoring blood supply via an endovascular, open, or percutaneous approach.Transluminal stent placement is included, along with angioplasty if performed within the same vessel. This code is used in addition to the primary procedure code (37229, 37230, or 37231) for the initial vessel.
Example 1: A patient presents with critical limb ischemia affecting the left leg.The physician performs a percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stent placement in the left superficial femoral artery (primary procedure code 37230).During the procedure, two additional smaller arteries are found to be significantly narrowed. The physician performs angioplasty and stent placement in each of these vessels, requiring code 37234 to be appended twice to the primary code., A patient with diabetes undergoes an open surgical revascularization of the posterior tibial artery (primary procedure code 37231). Intraoperatively, an additional, severely narrowed peroneal artery is identified. Code 37234 is added to reflect the revascularization of this additional vessel., A patient with peripheral artery disease (PAD) requires an endovascular revascularization of the popliteal artery (primary procedure code 37229).During the procedure, the physician identifies and treats two additional significantly narrowed tibial arteries using the same endovascular technique. Two units of code 37234 are appended to reflect this additional work.
Detailed operative report including approach (open or percutaneous), vessel(s) treated, stent type and size, angiographic images before and after intervention, and details about any complications.
** Always confirm payer-specific requirements for coding and reimbursement.Accurate documentation is crucial for successful billing.
- Revenue Code: P2F (MAJOR PROCEDURE, CARDIOVASCULAR - OTHER)
- RVU: Information not available.RVUs vary based on geographic location, facility type, and other factors.
- Global Days: Information not available in provided text.Global surgical days would depend on payer and specific procedure.
- Payment Status: Active
- Modifier TC rule: A Technical Component (TC) modifier is not typically applicable to this code as it represents additional work within the same session.
- Fee Schedule: Information not available.Historical fee schedules vary depending on payer and location.
- Specialties:Vascular Surgery, Interventional Cardiology
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center