November 2017 Q & A

Question: Infrarenal AAA

My provider did infrarenal AAA, using US guidance, he accessed both femoral arteries. He deployed a Gore endovascular stent with careful attention not to encroach the left renal artery. Then, the Gore limb was placed into the right common iliac artery. An extender device was placed from the main body limb, just above the left hypogastric. My question: is it appropriate to code 34825 since he used another limb extension?

August 2017 Q & A

Question: Repair of EVAR with Deployment of 2 Gore Excluder Limbs

This patient developed a type III endoleak due to component separation of the left iliac limb from a prior EVAR. To repair this, our physicians first used an Excluder limb across both graft defects followed by a second Excluder limb in the patient's iliac, to bridge the separation of components. I would normally code this with 34825, 75953.

However, I am not sure how to code for a second graft in this case or if I can code for it at all because I am not positive that the second graft is considered a separate vessel and qualifies for the 34826. There is no mention of it being placed in either the external or internal iliac.