Summary & Overview

CPT 22110: Excision of Lesion in Single Cervical Vertebral Body

CPT code 22110 represents a focused surgical excision of portions of the body of a single cervical vertebra to remove a damaged or diseased area without decompression of the spinal cord or nerve roots. The code captures a specific, limited vertebral-body procedure distinct from corpectomy with neural decompression or multi-level vertebral resections. Nationally, this code is relevant for neurosurgery and orthopedic spine practices, hospital billing departments, and payers managing high-cost spine surgery claims.

Key payers discussed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for when this code is used, typical sites of service, and which payers commonly adjudicate claims for this type of spine surgery. The publication provides benchmarks and policy-focused content where available, clarifies coding scope compared with broader spinal procedures, and highlights common billing considerations and documentation expectations. Data not available in the input for elements such as associated taxonomies, specific ICD-10 pairings, and payer-specific reimbursement rates is noted as unavailable. This national overview is designed to help coding professionals, clinicians, and administrators understand the clinical intent and billing context of CPT code 22110.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare22110CPTspine surgerycervical vertebracorpectomysurgical excisionhospital billingambulatory surgery

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 22110 describes a surgical procedure in which the provider excises portions of the main body of a single cervical vertebra to remove a damaged or diseased area contained within that bone. The procedure does not include decompression of the spinal cord or nerve roots and is limited to addressing pathology within the vertebral body itself.

Service type: Surgical excision of vertebral body lesion (partial corpectomy of a single cervical vertebra)
Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient hospital setting or ambulatory surgery center, depending on clinical complexity and facility practice patterns

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A patient in their mid-50s presents with a focal destructive lesion confined to the body of a single cervical vertebra, identified on cervical spine CT and MRI. The patient reports progressive neck pain and localized tenderness at the corresponding level; there is no objective myelopathy or radiculopathy on neurologic exam and imaging shows the spinal canal and neural foramina are preserved without cord or nerve root compression. Conservative measures including analgesics and activity modification have failed. The surgical team (orthopaedic spine surgeon or neurosurgeon) schedules an operative excision of the diseased portion of the vertebral body under general anesthesia. The procedure involves a focused resection of the affected vertebral body segment to remove tumor, infection, or osteonecrotic bone while intentionally avoiding decompression of the spinal cord or nerve roots. Typical workflow includes preoperative imaging review, anesthesia evaluation, intraoperative fluoroscopic localization, lesion excision with hemostasis, possible structural grafting or reconstruction if stability is affected, and routine postoperative recovery in the PACU with follow-up imaging to confirm lesion removal and spinal stability. Typical site of service is an inpatient or outpatient hospital operating room depending on complexity; ambulatory surgery center use is uncommon when reconstruction or monitoring is anticipated.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	When work, time, or difficulty is substantially greater than typical for due to extensive dissection or unexpected complexity.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
207XS0102X	Orthopaedic Spine Surgery	Orthopaedic surgeons who specialize in spine commonly perform vertebral body excisions and reconstruction.
2084P0800X	Neurological Surgery	Neurosurgeons perform cervical vertebral excisions, especially when proximity to spinal cord requires neuro expertise.
207L00000X	Orthopaedic Surgery	General orthopaedic surgeons with spine practice may perform focal vertebral procedures.
363LP0801X	Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation	May be involved in pre- and postoperative functional management and rehabilitation planning.
354W00000X	Hospitalist/Preoperative Medicine	Manages inpatient preoperative medical clearance and perioperative medical issues.

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`20610`	Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection; major joint or bursa (e.g., shoulder, hip)	May be used diagnostically or therapeutically preoperatively for differential diagnosis of neck/shoulder pain, though not directly related to vertebral body excision.
`22630`	Arthrodesis, posterior or posterolateral technique, single level; lumbar	Represents fusion procedures that may be performed if vertebral body excision compromises stability and posterior fusion is required; provides structural stabilization following resection.
`22845`	Anterior instrumentation; 2 to 3 vertebral segments	Used when anterior spinal instrumentation is required for reconstruction after excision of a cervical vertebral body portion to restore stability.
`20930`	Allograft, morselized, or placement of osteoconductive material	May be used to fill a defect in the vertebral body after excision when structural grafting or augmentation is performed.
`22851`	Application of intervertebral biomechanical device(s) (e.g., spacers) with posterior instrumentation	Performed when segmental reconstruction of the cervical spine is needed in conjunction with excision to maintain alignment and stability.

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