2025 CPT code 47533
Effective Date: N/A Surgery - Surgical Procedures on the Digestive System Surgery Feed
Placement of a biliary drainage catheter percutaneously, including diagnostic cholangiography, imaging guidance (e.g., ultrasound and/or fluoroscopy), and all associated radiological supervision and interpretation; external.
Modifiers may be applicable in certain scenarios. For example, modifier 59 may be used to indicate a distinct procedural service.
Medical necessity is established by the underlying condition causing biliary obstruction or the need for biliary drainage. Examples include obstructive jaundice, bile duct injury, cholangitis, or bile leak.
After the patient is prepped and anesthetized, the physician uses ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance to insert a needle into the liver. A guidewire is inserted through the needle, followed by a drainage catheter advanced over the guidewire into the bile ducts. The guidewire is removed, leaving the catheter in place. The external end is secured with stitches, attached to a drainage system, and a bandage is applied.
In simple words: A doctor places a tube through your skin into your bile ducts. This allows bile, a fluid that helps digest food, to drain out of your body. The procedure uses imaging technology, like ultrasound or x-ray, to guide the tube placement. The doctor may also inject a dye to see the inside of the bile ducts.
This code represents the percutaneous placement of an external biliary drainage catheter. The procedure includes diagnostic cholangiography when performed, imaging guidance (e.g., ultrasound and/or fluoroscopy), and all associated radiological supervision and interpretation.The catheter is placed into a bile duct to drain bile externally. It does not terminate in the bowel.
Example 1: A patient with obstructive jaundice due to a tumor in the bile duct undergoes percutaneous placement of an external biliary drainage catheter to relieve the obstruction and allow bile to drain., A patient with a bile duct injury after surgery requires external drainage of bile to allow the injury to heal., A patient with cholangitis (inflammation of the bile ducts) needs an external biliary drainage catheter to drain infected bile and reduce the inflammation.
Documentation should include the reason for the procedure, details of the procedure itself (including imaging guidance used and type of catheter placed), confirmation of external drainage, and any associated diagnostic cholangiography performed. Operative reports, imaging reports, and progress notes should be included.
- Specialties:Interventional Radiology, Gastroenterology, General Surgery
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center