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2025 CPT code 38720

Complete cervical lymphadenectomy.

Follow current CPT guidelines for surgical procedures.Ensure accurate documentation to support medical necessity and the extent of the procedure performed.Modifier 50 should be added for bilateral procedures.

Modifiers 22, 50, 51, 58, and others may be applicable depending on the circumstances of the procedure. Consult the most recent CPT guidelines and the modifier instructions for specifics.

Medical necessity for a complete cervical lymphadenectomy is established by the presence of enlarged, suspicious, or confirmed malignant lymph nodes in the cervical region.The procedure is justified when biopsy, imaging, or clinical findings indicate the need for complete lymph node removal for diagnosis, staging, or treatment of a disease process.

The surgeon prepares the patient, makes an incision from under the ear to the chin, identifies and excises diseased lymph nodes and tissues, ensures hemostasis, and closes the incision in layers.

IMPORTANT:For limited pelvic and retroperitoneal lymphadenectomies, see 38562, 38564.If the procedure is bilateral, report 38720 with modifier 50. If performed within the global period of another procedure to remove a tumor, modifier 58 may be necessary.

In simple words: The doctor completely removes lymph nodes from the neck.If there's cancer or another disease in the neck area, they might also remove other nearby tissues.

Complete cervical lymphadenectomy involves the complete excision of lymph nodes from the cervical region (neck).This procedure is often performed in cases of metastatic cancer or other diseases affecting the cervical lymph nodes, potentially requiring removal of additional tissues in the affected area. The procedure includes meticulous hemostasis and layered closure of the incision.

Example 1: A patient presents with a suspicious lymph node in the neck, confirmed by biopsy to be metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. A complete cervical lymphadenectomy is performed to remove the cancerous lymph node and surrounding tissues. , A patient undergoes a radical neck dissection for advanced head and neck cancer.38720 is coded to represent the complete cervical lymphadenectomy portion of the procedure., A patient with Hodgkin's lymphoma has enlarged cervical lymph nodes. A complete cervical lymphadenectomy is performed to obtain tissue samples for diagnosis and staging, and potentially for therapeutic purposes.

Preoperative imaging (e.g., CT scan, MRI), intraoperative findings documenting the extent of lymph node involvement and tissue removed, pathology report confirming diagnosis and extent of resection, operative report detailing the procedure, and postoperative recovery notes.

** Complete cervical lymphadenectomy is a complex procedure with variations in technique depending on the extent of disease and surgeon preference.Always refer to the most current CPT codebook and guidelines for accurate coding and billing.

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