Clinical Context
A 62-year-old male with multiple actinic keratoses presents to a dermatology clinic for lesion evaluation and treatment. The patient is on anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation and reports a single enlarging hyperkeratotic lesion on the dorsal hand that occasionally bleeds. After clinical assessment and dermoscopic evaluation, the dermatologist determines that the lesion is suspicious for squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen disease) versus hypertrophic actinic keratosis and recommends destruction of the lesion with cryotherapy or electrosurgical destruction in an outpatient dermatology procedure room. The typical workflow includes informed consent, local anesthesia as indicated, lesion preparation and measurement, destruction technique selection (liquid nitrogen cryotherapy or electrodessication and curettage), hemostasis, wound care instructions, and documentation of lesion size, location, technique, number of lesions treated, and post-procedure status.
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|
17000 | Destruction (e.g., laser, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery) first lesion | Often used for destruction of a single benign lesion; pairs with additional lesion codes when multiple lesions are treated |
17003 | Destruction (e.g., laser, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery) each additional 10 lesions, or part thereof, in a single session; benign lesions | Used when multiple benign lesions are treated in the same session beyond the primary code
11102 | Tangential biopsy of skin lesion (e.g., shave, scoop), single lesion, without anesthetic | Performed when a sample is needed to confirm diagnosis prior to or instead of destructive treatment
11600 | Excision, malignant lesion including margins, trunk, arms or legs; excised diameter 0.5 cm or less | Performed when lesion is confirmed malignant and requires excision rather than destructive in-office methods
99024 | Postoperative follow-up visit, related to routine postoperative care following a procedure | Used for routine follow-up visits related to wound check or healing after lesion destruction
19301 | Mastectomy, partial (for context when skin lesions near breast tissue require specialized management) | Listed for situations where lesion management intersects with other surgical specialties; not routinely used for common skin lesion destruction