CPT 22112 Thoracic Vertebral Resection Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 22112: Thoracic Vertebral Body Resection

CPT code 22112 represents a surgical resection of part of a thoracic vertebral body to remove a damaged or diseased area confined to a single vertebra without decompression of the spinal cord or nerve roots. This code captures a focused bony procedure on the upper back and is relevant for spine surgeons, hospital billing departments, and payers managing spine care utilization.

Key national payers included in related policy and reimbursement discussions are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find clinical context for when this bony resection is reported, typical settings where the service is delivered, and the scope of the code relative to decompressive or multilevel spinal procedures. The publication also summarizes common modifiers used with complex surgical services (provided in the input) and notes when data are not present for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, or related procedural codes.

The analysis is intended to inform coding staff, revenue cycle professionals, and policy analysts about the code’s clinical meaning, service line placement, and payer relevance at a national level.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicareCPT 22112thoracic vertebra resectionspine surgeryorthopedic surgeryhospital servicessurgical codingvertebral body excision

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 22112 describes a surgical procedure in which the provider excises portions of the main body of a thoracic vertebra to remove a damaged or diseased area contained within that single bone. The procedure specifically addresses a focal lesion of a thoracic vertebral body and does not include decompression of the spinal cord or nerve roots.

Service type: Surgical — spinal/orthopedic bone resection

Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient or outpatient surgical setting; specialized spine surgery centers

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 58-year-old male with a solitary osteolytic lesion of the T7 vertebral body presents with progressive mid-back pain and localized tenderness. Imaging with MRI and CT confirms a destructive lesion confined to the main body of the T7 thoracic vertebra without compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots. Workup includes biopsy-proven benign aggressive tumor (e.g., hemangioma, osteoblastoma) or solitary metastatic lesion limited to the vertebral body. The patient is evaluated by an orthopedic spine surgeon or neurosurgeon in the outpatient clinic; preoperative clearance and appropriate imaging are obtained. In the operating room under general anesthesia, the surgeon performs a partial vertebrectomy/excision of the affected portion of the thoracic vertebral body to remove the diseased bone while preserving the spinal canal and neural elements. No direct decompression of the spinal cord or nerve roots is performed. Postoperative care includes routine PACU monitoring, pain control, imaging to document resection, and outpatient follow-up for healing, possible reconstruction (if performed), and oncologic or adjuvant management as indicated.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons equally share responsibility for the procedure on the same operative field.
`51`

CPT 22103: Excision of Posterior Vertebral Bony Lesion

CPT-22114-LUMBAR-VERTEBRAL-BODY-EXCISION

CPT 22114: Lumbar Vertebral Body Excision

CPT-22101-THORACIC-VERTEBRAL-POSTERIOR-EXCISION-BONY-LESION

CPT 22101: Excision of Posterior Thoracic Vertebral Bony Lesion

CPT-22116-VERTEBRAL-BODY-EXCISION-SINGLE-VERTEBRA

CPT 22116: Vertebral Body Excision, Single Vertebra

CPT-22100-CERVICAL-VERTEBRAL-POSTERIOR-EXCISION-BONY-LESION

CPT 22100: Excision of Posterior Cervical Vertebral Bone

CPT-22110-CERVICAL-VERTEBRAL-BODY-EXCISION-SINGLE-LEVEL

CPT 22110: Excision of Lesion in Single Cervical Vertebral Body

CPT-22102-LUMBAR-VERTEBRAL-BONY-LESION-EXCISION

CPT 22102: Lumbar Vertebral Bony Lesion Excision

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207XS0102X`	Orthopaedic Spine Surgery	Orthopedic surgeons who specialize in complex spine surgery commonly perform vertebrectomy or partial vertebral resections.
`2080S0122X`	Neurological Surgery	Neurosurgeons perform resection of vertebral body lesions and spinal procedures preserving neural elements.
`2084P0800X`	Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation	PM&R physicians are involved in pre- and post-operative functional optimization and rehabilitation planning.
`207R00000X`	Orthopedic Surgery	General orthopedic surgeons with spine focus may perform selected vertebral resections.
`363A00000X`	Anesthesiology	Anesthesiologists provide perioperative anesthesia and intraoperative monitoring for the procedure.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`M84.57`	Pathologic fracture, vertebrae	Vertebral body lesions causing structural compromise that may require excision of diseased bone.
`C79.51`	Secondary malignant neoplasm of bone (thoracic vertebra)	Metastatic lesions localized to a thoracic vertebral body often require resection for diagnosis, pain control, or local disease control.
`M49.27`	Pathologic fracture in other disease, thoracic region	Indicates pathological compromise of a thoracic vertebra due to underlying disease affecting surgical decision-making.
`M90.8`	Other osteopathies, unspecified site	Includes focal bone disorders of the thoracic vertebra that may require excision.
`D16.4`	Benign neoplasm of bone and articular cartilage of vertebral column	Benign tumors (e.g., osteoblastoma, hemangioma) confined to the vertebral body that are amenable to partial vertebrectomy.
`M49.27`	Other deforming dorsopathies, thoracic region	May reflect degenerative or deforming processes localized to the vertebral body prompting resection (used when clinically applicable).
`T81.4XXA`	Infection following a procedure, initial encounter	Postoperative complication code relevant to monitoring and potential return to OR for infected vertebral resections.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`22112`	Excision, hemivertebra, or excision of portion of the vertebral body, thoracic; single vertebra, without decompression of the spinal cord or nerve roots	Primary procedure describing excision of a portion of a thoracic vertebral body confined to a single vertebra without neural decompression.
`22551`	Arthrodesis, posterior or posterolateral technique, single level; thoracic	May be performed during the same operative setting when stabilization or fusion is required following resection of vertebral body.
`22325`	Closure of vertebral body defect with bone graft or synthetic substitute, thoracic	Used when the vertebral body defect created by excision is reconstructed with graft or cage (open).
`20930`	Allograft, morselized, or placement of osteopromotive material in spine surgery	Applied when bone graft material is placed to augment fusion or fill defects after vertebral excision.
`77003`	Fluoroscopic guidance for spine surgery	Often used intraoperatively to localize the vertebral level and guide resection and hardware placement.
`72070`	Radiologic examination, spine, thoracic; 2-3 views	Pre- or postoperative plain radiographs to document the lesion and post-resection alignment or hardware.

OpenPayer