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CPT 21343: Repair of Depressed Frontal Sinus Fracture

CPT code 21343 covers open surgical repair of depressed fractures of the frontal sinus below the brow ridge, typically required after blunt force or crush trauma to the forehead. This procedure is clinically significant because it addresses both functional and cosmetic consequences of frontal bone fractures, can involve complex reduction and fixation, and is frequently performed in acute trauma and facial reconstruction settings. Nationally, management of frontal sinus fractures has implications for trauma systems, craniofacial surgery practice patterns, and payer coverage for operative repair.

Key payers included in this analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of the clinical context for 21343, typical sites of service, and what to expect in coding and billing workflows. The publication summarizes common modifier usage and related service-line considerations, highlights typical payment and coverage themes across major payers, and provides benchmark indicators and policy updates relevant to trauma and reconstructive facial surgery. Clinical details outline indications for repair, procedural setting, and implications for post-operative care and follow-up.

Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, specific payer policies, and related codes.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 21343 describes a surgical repair of a depressed fracture of the frontal sinus bones below the brow ridge, performed through an incision to access and reduce the fracture. The procedure addresses structural damage resulting from blunt force trauma or crush injuries to the frontal sinus region.

Service type: Open surgical repair of facial/craniofacial bone fracture
Typical site of service: Operating room or ambulatory surgical center, performed by a craniofacial, plastic, or maxillofacial surgeon

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CPT 21343: Repair of Depressed Frontal Sinus Fracture

Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, specific payer policies, and related codes.

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Open surgical repair of facial/craniofacial bone fracture
Typical site of service: Operating room or ambulatory surgical center, performed by a craniofacial, plastic, or maxillofacial surgeon

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 34-year-old male presents to the emergency department after a motor vehicle collision with direct blunt trauma to the forehead. He has localized depression of the supraorbital ridge with visible contour deformity, periorbital swelling, and reported numbness of the forehead. CT facial bones demonstrates a depressed fracture of the frontal sinus below the brow ridge without intracranial extension. The patient is taken to the operating room for open repair: the surgeon makes an incision along the brow to access the depressed frontal sinus fracture, elevates and repairs the depressed bone fragments, restores the contour, inspects and irrigates the sinus, and secures fixation as needed. Typical clinical workflow includes preoperative imaging (CT), informed consent, perioperative antibiotics, OR repair under general anesthesia, postoperative head elevation and sinus precautions, and outpatient follow-up for wound check and cosmetic/function assessment.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work, time, or technical difficulty substantially exceeds typical for `21343`.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when procedure performed under general anesthesia for an emergency where regional/local not feasible.
`26`	Professional component	Use if billing only the professional interpretation component of an associated diagnostic study (rare for `21343`).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when identical procedures are performed on both sides during same operative session and payer allows.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when `21343` is reported with other distinct surgical procedures during same session (subject to bundling rules).
`52`	Reduced services	Use when procedure is partially reduced or not completed as originally planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when procedure is started but discontinued for extenuating circumstances.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of the complex repair.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same physician repeats the procedure later (note: `76` not in provided list; omitted).
`78`	Unplanned return to OR	Use when patient requires a return to the operating room for related corrective procedure during the postoperative period.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon performs part of the operative procedure.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when assistant surgeon involvement is minimal.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services in facility	Use when advanced practice clinician bills in facility settings per payer rules.
`LT`	Left side	Use to indicate procedure performed on the left side when laterality is billed separately.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207P00000X	Plastic Surgery	Plastic and reconstructive surgeons commonly perform frontal sinus contour repairs for cosmetic and functional restoration.
207R00000X	Otolaryngology	ENT surgeons manage frontal sinus injuries, address sinus mucosa, and ensure sinus drainage and repair.
208200000X	Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery	Maxillofacial surgeons treat facial bone fractures including frontal sinus and supraorbital rim.
208600000X	General Surgery	Trauma surgeons may perform initial open repairs in acute settings when subspecialists are unavailable.
106H00000X	Emergency Medicine	Emergency physicians provide initial evaluation, stabilization, and coordination for operative repair.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`S02.110A`	Fracture of frontal bone without mention of intracranial injury, initial encounter	Directly captures isolated frontal bone fractures that may involve the frontal sinus and indicate surgical repair.
`S02.111A`	Fracture of frontal bone with intracranial injury, initial encounter	Applied when frontal sinus fracture is associated with intracranial injury; influences surgical planning and urgency.
`S02.2XXA`	Fracture of nasal bones, initial encounter for closed fracture	Relevant when nasal fractures coexist and are repaired during the same operative session.
`S02.4XXA`	Fracture of malar and maxillary bones, initial encounter for closed fracture	Used when midface fractures accompany frontal sinus fractures, affecting operative approach.
`S06.2X0A`	Diffuse traumatic brain injury without loss of consciousness, initial encounter	Included when head injury with possible intracranial involvement is present and impacts perioperative management.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`21345`	Open treatment of depressed fracture, frontal sinus, with exploration and repair; requiring graft, local flap, or complex reconstruction	Used when depressed frontal sinus fracture requires grafting or more extensive reconstruction beyond elevation and simple repair.
`21244`	Open treatment of orbital floor fracture (blow-out)	Performed when concomitant orbital floor fractures are present and need repair during the same operative session.
`21330`	Open treatment of nasal bone fracture, with or without stabilization	Often performed if associated nasal bone fractures are present and require simultaneous correction.
`21010`	Repair, forehead and/or scalp; simple	Performed for associated soft tissue lacerations or superficial soft-tissue repair in the forehead region during the same encounter.
`70486`	CT scan, facial bones, without contrast	Preoperative imaging commonly performed to define frontal sinus fracture anatomy prior to `21343`.

CPT 21315: Closed Reduction of Nasal Bone Fracture

CPT-21320-CLOSED-REDUCTION-NASAL-BONE-FRACTURE-SPLINTING

CPT 21320: Closed Reduction of Nasal Bone Fracture with Splinting

CPT-21325-NASAL-FRACTURE-REDUCTION-NASAL-INCISION

CPT 21325: Nasal Fracture Reduction via Nasal Incision

CPT-21330-COMPLEX-NASAL-FRACTURE-REDUCTION-FIXATION

CPT 21330: Reduction and Fixation of Complex Nasal Fracture

CPT-21335-OPEN-REDUCTION-NASAL-BONE-NASAL-SEPTUM-FRACTURE

CPT 21335: Open Reduction of Nasal Bone and Nasal Septum Fracture

CPT-21336-NASAL-SEPTUM-FRACTURE-REDUCTION-OPEN

CPT 21336: Reduction of Nasal Septum Fracture, Open Approach

CPT-21337-CLOSED-REDUCTION-NASAL-SEPTAL-FRACTURE

CPT 21337: Closed Reduction of Nasal Septal Fracture

CPT-21338-NASAL-ETHMOID-FRACTURE-REDUCTION-NASAL-INCISION

CPT 21338: Reduction of Nasal and Ethmoid Bone Fracture via Nasal Incision

CPT-21339-NASAL-ETHMOID-FRACTURE-REDUCTION-EXTERNAL-FIXATION

CPT 21339: Open Reduction, External Fixation of Nasal and Ethmoid Fractures

CPT-21340-NASAL-ETHMOID-FRACTURE-OPEN-REPAIR

CPT 21340: Open Repair of Nasal and Ethmoid Fracture

Showing 1–10 of 53

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work, time, or technical difficulty substantially exceeds typical for `21343`.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when procedure performed under general anesthesia for an emergency where regional/local not feasible.
`26`	Professional component	Use if billing only the professional interpretation component of an associated diagnostic study (rare for `21343`).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when identical procedures are performed on both sides during same operative session and payer allows.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when `21343` is reported with other distinct surgical procedures during same session (subject to bundling rules).
`52`	Reduced services	Use when procedure is partially reduced or not completed as originally planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when procedure is started but discontinued for extenuating circumstances.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of the complex repair.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same physician repeats the procedure later (note: `76` not in provided list; omitted).
`78`	Unplanned return to OR	Use when patient requires a return to the operating room for related corrective procedure during the postoperative period.
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon performs part of the operative procedure.
`81`	Minimum assistant surgeon	Use when assistant surgeon involvement is minimal.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services in facility	Use when advanced practice clinician bills in facility settings per payer rules.
`LT`	Left side	Use to indicate procedure performed on the left side when laterality is billed separately.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207P00000X	Plastic Surgery	Plastic and reconstructive surgeons commonly perform frontal sinus contour repairs for cosmetic and functional restoration.
207R00000X	Otolaryngology	ENT surgeons manage frontal sinus injuries, address sinus mucosa, and ensure sinus drainage and repair.
208200000X	Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery	Maxillofacial surgeons treat facial bone fractures including frontal sinus and supraorbital rim.
208600000X	General Surgery	Trauma surgeons may perform initial open repairs in acute settings when subspecialists are unavailable.
106H00000X	Emergency Medicine	Emergency physicians provide initial evaluation, stabilization, and coordination for operative repair.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`S02.110A`	Fracture of frontal bone without mention of intracranial injury, initial encounter	Directly captures isolated frontal bone fractures that may involve the frontal sinus and indicate surgical repair.
`S02.111A`	Fracture of frontal bone with intracranial injury, initial encounter	Applied when frontal sinus fracture is associated with intracranial injury; influences surgical planning and urgency.
`S02.2XXA`	Fracture of nasal bones, initial encounter for closed fracture	Relevant when nasal fractures coexist and are repaired during the same operative session.
`S02.4XXA`	Fracture of malar and maxillary bones, initial encounter for closed fracture	Used when midface fractures accompany frontal sinus fractures, affecting operative approach.
`S06.2X0A`	Diffuse traumatic brain injury without loss of consciousness, initial encounter	Included when head injury with possible intracranial involvement is present and impacts perioperative management.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`21345`	Open treatment of depressed fracture, frontal sinus, with exploration and repair; requiring graft, local flap, or complex reconstruction	Used when depressed frontal sinus fracture requires grafting or more extensive reconstruction beyond elevation and simple repair.
`21244`	Open treatment of orbital floor fracture (blow-out)	Performed when concomitant orbital floor fractures are present and need repair during the same operative session.
`21330`	Open treatment of nasal bone fracture, with or without stabilization	Often performed if associated nasal bone fractures are present and require simultaneous correction.
`21010`	Repair, forehead and/or scalp; simple	Performed for associated soft tissue lacerations or superficial soft-tissue repair in the forehead region during the same encounter.
`70486`	CT scan, facial bones, without contrast	Preoperative imaging commonly performed to define frontal sinus fracture anatomy prior to `21343`.

CPT 21315: Closed Reduction of Nasal Bone Fracture

CPT-21320-CLOSED-REDUCTION-NASAL-BONE-FRACTURE-SPLINTING

CPT 21320: Closed Reduction of Nasal Bone Fracture with Splinting

CPT-21325-NASAL-FRACTURE-REDUCTION-NASAL-INCISION

CPT 21325: Nasal Fracture Reduction via Nasal Incision

CPT-21330-COMPLEX-NASAL-FRACTURE-REDUCTION-FIXATION

CPT 21330: Reduction and Fixation of Complex Nasal Fracture

CPT-21335-OPEN-REDUCTION-NASAL-BONE-NASAL-SEPTUM-FRACTURE

CPT 21335: Open Reduction of Nasal Bone and Nasal Septum Fracture

CPT-21336-NASAL-SEPTUM-FRACTURE-REDUCTION-OPEN

CPT 21336: Reduction of Nasal Septum Fracture, Open Approach

CPT-21337-CLOSED-REDUCTION-NASAL-SEPTAL-FRACTURE

CPT 21337: Closed Reduction of Nasal Septal Fracture

CPT-21338-NASAL-ETHMOID-FRACTURE-REDUCTION-NASAL-INCISION

CPT 21338: Reduction of Nasal and Ethmoid Bone Fracture via Nasal Incision

CPT-21339-NASAL-ETHMOID-FRACTURE-REDUCTION-EXTERNAL-FIXATION

CPT 21339: Open Reduction, External Fixation of Nasal and Ethmoid Fractures

CPT-21340-NASAL-ETHMOID-FRACTURE-OPEN-REPAIR

CPT 21340: Open Repair of Nasal and Ethmoid Fracture

Showing 1–10 of 53

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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

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CPT 21343: Repair of Depressed Frontal Sinus Fracture

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Billing Code Overview

OpenPayer

CPT 21343: Repair of Depressed Frontal Sinus Fracture

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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