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CPT 11772: Excision of Pilonidal Cyst or Sinus, Extensive Dissection

CPT code 11772 represents the surgical excision of a pilonidal cyst or sinus that requires extensive dissection and is performed without complication. This code captures more complex pilonidal disease management than simple excision codes and is used for procedures where deeper tissue dissection or removal of multiple tracts is necessary. Nationally, accurate coding of pilonidal excision affects procedure reporting, surgical quality metrics, and reimbursement pathways for procedures commonly performed in ambulatory surgery centers and hospital outpatient departments.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for when to use CPT code 11772, an overview of expected sites of service, and benchmarking guidance on where this code fits among related surgical codes. The publication summarizes common billing considerations, relevant modifiers provided in the input, and the implications for claims processing. Where input data is not available, the text notes that specific items are not provided.

The piece is intended for coding professionals, surgical service line managers, and payer relations teams seeking a national perspective on reporting and categorizing more extensive pilonidal excisions. It highlights the clinical intent of the code, expected care settings, and the types of administrative and billing questions commonly associated with higher-complexity excisional procedures.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 11772 describes the excision of a pilonidal cyst or sinus requiring extensive dissection and without complication. The procedure involves surgical removal of diseased tissue in the sacrococcygeal area when the cyst or sinus tract extends beyond a simple superficial lesion.

Service type: Surgical excision of pilonidal cyst/sinus, extensive dissection

Typical site of service: Operative suite, ambulatory surgery center, or hospital outpatient department

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CPT 11772: Excision of Pilonidal Cyst or Sinus, Extensive Dissection

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Get alerted when payer policies referencing 11772 are released or updated.

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Surgical excision of pilonidal cyst/sinus, extensive dissection

Typical site of service: Operative suite, ambulatory surgery center, or hospital outpatient department

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 24-year-old male presents to the outpatient surgery clinic with recurrent midline intergluteal pain, intermittent drainage, and a palpable sinus tract consistent with a pilonidal cyst. Conservative measures including hygiene, hair removal, and antibiotics provided only temporary relief. The surgeon schedules an excision under monitored anesthesia care in an ambulatory surgery center. Preoperative marking identifies the extent of the sinus and secondary tracts. Intraoperatively the provider performs wide excision of the pilonidal cyst and sinus with extensive dissection to remove all involved tracts and diseased tissue down to healthy subcutaneous tissue, achieves hemostasis, and closes the wound primarily. Postoperative workflow includes immediate PACU recovery, wound care instructions, short course of oral antibiotics if indicated, and follow-up within 7–14 days for wound check and suture removal. Typical site of service is an ambulatory surgery center or hospital outpatient department. Service type: minor surgical excision requiring extensive dissection of pilonidal sinus without complication, operative visit and wound care included in global surgical package.

Coding Specifications

The following modifiers are selected from the provided list as most clinically relevant to 11772.

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`RT`	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.
`LT`	Left side	Use when the procedure is performed on the left side if laterality reporting is required by payer.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when bilateral procedures are performed during the same operative session.
`51`	Multiple procedures	When additional distinct procedures are performed at the same operative session and payer requires reporting.
`52`	Reduced services	Use if the work performed was reduced or partially discontinued.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if procedure was started but then terminated due to patient-related or intraoperative circumstances.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work required to excise the pilonidal cyst is substantially greater than typical due to extensive dissection or unusual pathology.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is required for medical reasons rather than typical local or monitored anesthesia care.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use to indicate a distinct procedure or service not normally reported together when needed to separate unrelated services.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period for a different diagnosis.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2080S0101X	General Surgery	General surgeons commonly perform excision of pilonidal cysts in outpatient or hospital settings.
2080P0200X	Colon and Rectal Surgery	Colorectal surgeons manage complex or recurrent pilonidal disease, especially near the natal cleft.
207L00000X	Family Medicine	Family physicians with surgical procedural training may perform simple excisions in ambulatory settings.
2086S0126X	Plastic Surgery	Plastic surgeons perform closure techniques or flap reconstruction for large defects after extensive excision.
207K00000X	General Practice	General practitioners with procedural skills may perform straightforward excisions when appropriate.

Related Diagnoses

No ICD-10 diagnosis codes were provided in the input; below are commonly associated diagnoses for 11772 based on standard clinical practice.

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`L05.01`	Pilonidal cyst with abscess of buttock	Represents an acute infected pilonidal cyst often requiring incision/drainage or excision.
`L05.02`	Pilonidal cyst without abscess of buttock	Indicates chronic pilonidal disease with sinus tracts appropriate for definitive excision.
`L05.10`	Pilonidal cyst with abscess, unspecified	Used when laterality or specific site detail is not documented but infection is present.
`L05.9`	Pilonidal cyst without abscess, unspecified	General code for pilonidal disease when details are limited but excision is performed.
`K64.9`	Hemorrhoids, unspecified	Included as a differential perineal pathology sometimes evaluated concurrently but not a direct indication for `11772`.
`R22.2`	Localized swelling, mass and lump, trunk	Describes a palpable mass in the sacrococcygeal region when a specific pilonidal code is not chosen.

Related CPT Codes

No related CPT codes were provided in the input; below are commonly associated codes performed alongside or in the perioperative period for excision of pilonidal cysts.

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`11750`	Avulsion of nail plate, partial or complete, simple; single	Not directly related but sometimes performed in the same ambulatory session for unrelated nail pathology; listed here as an example of another minor procedure commonly coded in outpatient surgery.
`12032`	Repair, intermediate, wounds of scalp, axillae, trunk and/or extremities; 2.6 cm to 7.5 cm	Used when the excision results in a wound requiring intermediate closure rather than simple closure; applicable if layered closure is performed.
`14040`	Adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement, forehead, cheeks, chin, mouth, neck, axillae, genitalia, hands, and/or feet; defects 10 sq cm to 30 sq cm	Applicable when defect after wide excision requires local flap reconstruction; used when plastic surgical techniques are necessary.
`10120`	Incision and drainage of pilonidal cyst (simple or single)	May be performed in urgent settings for acute abscess prior to definitive excision; often an initial procedure before definitive `11772`.
`99283`	Emergency department visit, problem of moderate severity	Used if patient presents to the ED with acute infection or abscess prior to scheduling elective excision; documents the ED evaluation.

CPT 11770: Excision of Pilonidal Cyst or Sinus, Not Extensive

CPT-11771-PILONIDAL-CYST-EXCISION-EXTENSIVE-SUBCUTANEOUS-DISSECTION

CPT 11771: Excision of Pilonidal Cyst or Sinus, Extensive Subcutaneous Dissection

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

The following modifiers are selected from the provided list as most clinically relevant to 11772.

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`RT`	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.
`LT`	Left side	Use when the procedure is performed on the left side if laterality reporting is required by payer.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when bilateral procedures are performed during the same operative session.
`51`	Multiple procedures	When additional distinct procedures are performed at the same operative session and payer requires reporting.
`52`	Reduced services	Use if the work performed was reduced or partially discontinued.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if procedure was started but then terminated due to patient-related or intraoperative circumstances.
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work required to excise the pilonidal cyst is substantially greater than typical due to extensive dissection or unusual pathology.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is required for medical reasons rather than typical local or monitored anesthesia care.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use to indicate a distinct procedure or service not normally reported together when needed to separate unrelated services.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period for a different diagnosis.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2080S0101X	General Surgery	General surgeons commonly perform excision of pilonidal cysts in outpatient or hospital settings.
2080P0200X	Colon and Rectal Surgery	Colorectal surgeons manage complex or recurrent pilonidal disease, especially near the natal cleft.
207L00000X	Family Medicine	Family physicians with surgical procedural training may perform simple excisions in ambulatory settings.
2086S0126X	Plastic Surgery	Plastic surgeons perform closure techniques or flap reconstruction for large defects after extensive excision.
207K00000X	General Practice	General practitioners with procedural skills may perform straightforward excisions when appropriate.

Related Diagnoses

No ICD-10 diagnosis codes were provided in the input; below are commonly associated diagnoses for 11772 based on standard clinical practice.

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`L05.01`	Pilonidal cyst with abscess of buttock	Represents an acute infected pilonidal cyst often requiring incision/drainage or excision.
`L05.02`	Pilonidal cyst without abscess of buttock	Indicates chronic pilonidal disease with sinus tracts appropriate for definitive excision.
`L05.10`	Pilonidal cyst with abscess, unspecified	Used when laterality or specific site detail is not documented but infection is present.
`L05.9`	Pilonidal cyst without abscess, unspecified	General code for pilonidal disease when details are limited but excision is performed.
`K64.9`	Hemorrhoids, unspecified	Included as a differential perineal pathology sometimes evaluated concurrently but not a direct indication for `11772`.
`R22.2`	Localized swelling, mass and lump, trunk	Describes a palpable mass in the sacrococcygeal region when a specific pilonidal code is not chosen.

Related CPT Codes

No related CPT codes were provided in the input; below are commonly associated codes performed alongside or in the perioperative period for excision of pilonidal cysts.

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`11750`	Avulsion of nail plate, partial or complete, simple; single	Not directly related but sometimes performed in the same ambulatory session for unrelated nail pathology; listed here as an example of another minor procedure commonly coded in outpatient surgery.
`12032`	Repair, intermediate, wounds of scalp, axillae, trunk and/or extremities; 2.6 cm to 7.5 cm	Used when the excision results in a wound requiring intermediate closure rather than simple closure; applicable if layered closure is performed.
`14040`	Adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement, forehead, cheeks, chin, mouth, neck, axillae, genitalia, hands, and/or feet; defects 10 sq cm to 30 sq cm	Applicable when defect after wide excision requires local flap reconstruction; used when plastic surgical techniques are necessary.
`10120`	Incision and drainage of pilonidal cyst (simple or single)	May be performed in urgent settings for acute abscess prior to definitive excision; often an initial procedure before definitive `11772`.
`99283`	Emergency department visit, problem of moderate severity	Used if patient presents to the ED with acute infection or abscess prior to scheduling elective excision; documents the ED evaluation.

CPT 11770: Excision of Pilonidal Cyst or Sinus, Not Extensive

CPT-11771-PILONIDAL-CYST-EXCISION-EXTENSIVE-SUBCUTANEOUS-DISSECTION

CPT 11771: Excision of Pilonidal Cyst or Sinus, Extensive Subcutaneous Dissection

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Jul 29, 2026.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

OpenPayer

CPT 11772: Excision of Pilonidal Cyst or Sinus, Extensive Dissection

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 11772: Excision of Pilonidal Cyst or Sinus, Extensive Dissection

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Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

References