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CPT 27003: Open Adductor Tenotomy with Obturator Nerve Removal

CPT code 27003 describes an open tenotomy of the hip adductor muscle combined with removal of the obturator nerve. The procedure is a surgical intervention used in cases of refractory adductor tendon pathology or spasticity where tendon release and denervation are indicated. Nationally, surgical codes for lower-extremity tendon procedures and neurotomy influence inpatient and ambulatory surgical utilization, surgical resource planning, and coding compliance for orthopedic and neurosurgical services.

Key payers included in the analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a clinical and billing overview of the procedure, typical sites of service, and the context needed for accurate coding and claim submission. The publication also outlines common modifiers associated with surgical services and highlights considerations relevant to payer policies and coverage determinations.

This summary provides an accessible reference for coding professionals, billing staff, and clinicians involved in surgical care for hip adductor conditions. It clarifies the code’s clinical intent, situates the service within surgical care settings, and previews the operational and policy issues that affect reimbursement and utilization at a national level.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 27003 describes an open tenotomy of the hip adductor muscle with removal of the obturator nerve. This surgical procedure involves division of the adductor tendon and excision of the obturator nerve to address persistent adductor-related pathology.

Service type: Surgical — Open tendon procedure with neurotomy

Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient surgical suite or ambulatory surgical center, depending on clinical complexity and facility capabilities.

Data not available in the input.

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CPT 27003: Open Adductor Tenotomy with Obturator Nerve Removal

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Surgical — Open tendon procedure with neurotomy

Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient surgical suite or ambulatory surgical center, depending on clinical complexity and facility capabilities.

Data not available in the input.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 12-year-old child with spastic cerebral palsy presents with progressive scissoring gait and limited hip abduction due to tight adductor muscles and recurrent hip subluxation. Conservative management including physical therapy, botulinum toxin injections, and orthotic adjustments failed to improve function or pain. The multidisciplinary team (pediatric orthopedics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, anesthesia) evaluates the patient and recommends surgical release. During the scheduled procedure under general anesthesia in an outpatient surgical center or hospital operating room, the surgeon performs an open adductor tenotomy (surgical division of the adductor tendons) to decrease adductor spasticity and improve hip positioning. Intraoperatively, identification of dense scar tissue and persistent neurogenic pain prompts performance of an obturator nerve neurectomy (removal) to reduce spasm and pain. Postoperative workflow includes PACU recovery, short inpatient observation if needed for pediatric monitoring, pain control, early mobilization with physical therapy, and follow-up for wound checks and gait assessment. Typical sites of service are hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient department, or ambulatory surgical center depending on patient comorbidities and anesthesia requirements.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the tenotomy or neurectomy is partially performed or substantially reduced in scope.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if the procedure is started but aborted due to patient safety or unexpected findings.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons on distinct portions of the procedure.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when a surgical team provides separate component services for complex cases.
`78`	Return to OR for related procedure during global period	Use when an unplanned return to the operating room for a related procedure occurs during the global period.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service during global period	(Not in raw list) Data not available in the input.
`LT`	Left side	Use to identify procedures performed on the left hip/adductor complex.
`RT`	Right side	Use to identify procedures performed on the right hip/adductor complex.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when bilateral adductor tenotomies/neurectomies are performed (note: bilateral modifier usage may follow payer-specific rules).
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the procedure requires substantially greater work, e.g., extensive scar tissue or additional neurolysis.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is contraindicated and an unusual anesthesia circumstance is documented (rare for pediatrics).
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Apply when patient meets weight criteria per payer guidance (pediatric weight-based modifier use varies).
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon performs assistive surgical tasks and documentation supports the assistant’s participation.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist service as primary surgeon	Use when an advanced practice clinician performs the procedure as the primary surgeon where allowed.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207P00000X`	Orthopaedic Surgery	Pediatric and adult orthopedic surgeons commonly perform adductor tenotomy and obturator neurectomy.
`2080P0207X`	Surgery - Pediatric	Surgeons with pediatric specialization for congenital or developmental neuromuscular conditions.
`2086S0125X`	Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation	May be involved in pre- and post-operative management and functional assessment.
`207L00000X`	Neurological Surgery	Rarely involved when complex nerve work or neuromodulation is needed.
`363A00000X`	Anesthesiology	Anesthesia providers manage perioperative care and documentation of anesthesia-related modifiers.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`M24.461`	Contracture, right hip	Adductor contracture causing restricted abduction; may indicate need for tenotomy.
`M24.462`	Contracture, left hip	Same as above for the left side; guides sided modifier use.
`G80.0`	Spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy	Neuromuscular spasticity leading to adductor tightness and need for surgical release.
`G80.1`	Spastic diplegic cerebral palsy	Common diagnosis associated with progressive adductor spasticity and scissoring gait addressed by tenotomy/neurectomy.
`M25.851`	Pain in right hip	Hip pain from tight adductors or nerve irritation may prompt surgical intervention.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`27003`	Open tenotomy, adductor muscle, hip (includes obturator nerve procedures when performed)	Primary procedure describing open surgical division of the adductor tendon; coverage includes associated soft-tissue work such as obturator neurectomy when performed during the same operative session.
`27320`	Reconstruction, quadriceps mechanism, soft tissue; acute traumatic	May be performed in cases with concurrent soft-tissue reconstruction around the hip or thigh during the same operative episode.
`20600`	Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa; without ultrasound guidance	May be used preoperatively for diagnostic or therapeutic injections to evaluate pain generators prior to definitive tendon release.
`64450`	Injection, anesthetic agent; peripheral nerve, single (e.g., femoral, sciatic)	Perioperative nerve block for analgesia (regional anesthesia) that can be performed before the tenotomy/neurectomy.
`11720`	Debridement of nail(s) for fungal or hypertrophic nail conditions	(Not directly related) Data not available in the input.

CPT 26990: Incision and Drainage of Deep Pelvic or Hip Abscess

CPT-26991-HIP-BURSA-INCISION-AND-DRAINAGE

CPT 26991: Incision and Drainage of Infected Hip Bursa

CPT-26992-PELVIC-HIP-BONE-CORTEX-INCISION-FOR-INFECTION

CPT 26992: Incision of Pelvic or Hip Bone Cortex for Infection

CPT-27000-PERCUTANEOUS-ADDUCTOR-TENOTOMY-HIP

CPT 27000: Percutaneous Adductor Tenotomy of Hip

CPT-27001-HIP-ADDUCTOR-OPEN-TENOTOMY

CPT 27001: Open Tenotomy of Hip Adductor

CPT-27005-HIP-FLEXOR-OPEN-TENOTOMY

CPT 27005: Open Tenotomy of Hip Flexor Muscles

CPT-27006-HIP-ABDUCTOR-EXTENSOR-OPEN-TENOTOMY

CPT 27006: Open Tenotomy of Hip Abductor/Extensor Muscles

CPT-27025-HIP-THIGH-FASCIOTOMY-DECOMPRESSION

CPT 27025: Fasciotomy, Hip or Thigh

CPT-27027-HIP-BUTTOCK-FASCIOTOMY-UNILATERAL

CPT 27027: Unilateral Hip/Buttock Compartment Fasciotomy

CPT-27030-HIP-JOINT-INCISION-EXPLORATION-DRAINAGE-INFECTION

CPT 27030: Hip Joint Incision, Exploration, and Drainage

Showing 1–10 of 13

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the tenotomy or neurectomy is partially performed or substantially reduced in scope.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use if the procedure is started but aborted due to patient safety or unexpected findings.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons on distinct portions of the procedure.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when a surgical team provides separate component services for complex cases.
`78`	Return to OR for related procedure during global period	Use when an unplanned return to the operating room for a related procedure occurs during the global period.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service during global period	(Not in raw list) Data not available in the input.
`LT`	Left side	Use to identify procedures performed on the left hip/adductor complex.
`RT`	Right side	Use to identify procedures performed on the right hip/adductor complex.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when bilateral adductor tenotomies/neurectomies are performed (note: bilateral modifier usage may follow payer-specific rules).
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the procedure requires substantially greater work, e.g., extensive scar tissue or additional neurolysis.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is contraindicated and an unusual anesthesia circumstance is documented (rare for pediatrics).
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Apply when patient meets weight criteria per payer guidance (pediatric weight-based modifier use varies).
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon performs assistive surgical tasks and documentation supports the assistant’s participation.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist service as primary surgeon	Use when an advanced practice clinician performs the procedure as the primary surgeon where allowed.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207P00000X`	Orthopaedic Surgery	Pediatric and adult orthopedic surgeons commonly perform adductor tenotomy and obturator neurectomy.
`2080P0207X`	Surgery - Pediatric	Surgeons with pediatric specialization for congenital or developmental neuromuscular conditions.
`2086S0125X`	Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation	May be involved in pre- and post-operative management and functional assessment.
`207L00000X`	Neurological Surgery	Rarely involved when complex nerve work or neuromodulation is needed.
`363A00000X`	Anesthesiology	Anesthesia providers manage perioperative care and documentation of anesthesia-related modifiers.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`M24.461`	Contracture, right hip	Adductor contracture causing restricted abduction; may indicate need for tenotomy.
`M24.462`	Contracture, left hip	Same as above for the left side; guides sided modifier use.
`G80.0`	Spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy	Neuromuscular spasticity leading to adductor tightness and need for surgical release.
`G80.1`	Spastic diplegic cerebral palsy	Common diagnosis associated with progressive adductor spasticity and scissoring gait addressed by tenotomy/neurectomy.
`M25.851`	Pain in right hip	Hip pain from tight adductors or nerve irritation may prompt surgical intervention.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`27003`	Open tenotomy, adductor muscle, hip (includes obturator nerve procedures when performed)	Primary procedure describing open surgical division of the adductor tendon; coverage includes associated soft-tissue work such as obturator neurectomy when performed during the same operative session.
`27320`	Reconstruction, quadriceps mechanism, soft tissue; acute traumatic	May be performed in cases with concurrent soft-tissue reconstruction around the hip or thigh during the same operative episode.
`20600`	Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa; without ultrasound guidance	May be used preoperatively for diagnostic or therapeutic injections to evaluate pain generators prior to definitive tendon release.
`64450`	Injection, anesthetic agent; peripheral nerve, single (e.g., femoral, sciatic)	Perioperative nerve block for analgesia (regional anesthesia) that can be performed before the tenotomy/neurectomy.
`11720`	Debridement of nail(s) for fungal or hypertrophic nail conditions	(Not directly related) Data not available in the input.

CPT 26990: Incision and Drainage of Deep Pelvic or Hip Abscess

CPT-26991-HIP-BURSA-INCISION-AND-DRAINAGE

CPT 26991: Incision and Drainage of Infected Hip Bursa

CPT-26992-PELVIC-HIP-BONE-CORTEX-INCISION-FOR-INFECTION

CPT 26992: Incision of Pelvic or Hip Bone Cortex for Infection

CPT-27000-PERCUTANEOUS-ADDUCTOR-TENOTOMY-HIP

CPT 27000: Percutaneous Adductor Tenotomy of Hip

CPT-27001-HIP-ADDUCTOR-OPEN-TENOTOMY

CPT 27001: Open Tenotomy of Hip Adductor

CPT-27005-HIP-FLEXOR-OPEN-TENOTOMY

CPT 27005: Open Tenotomy of Hip Flexor Muscles

CPT-27006-HIP-ABDUCTOR-EXTENSOR-OPEN-TENOTOMY

CPT 27006: Open Tenotomy of Hip Abductor/Extensor Muscles

CPT-27025-HIP-THIGH-FASCIOTOMY-DECOMPRESSION

CPT 27025: Fasciotomy, Hip or Thigh

CPT-27027-HIP-BUTTOCK-FASCIOTOMY-UNILATERAL

CPT 27027: Unilateral Hip/Buttock Compartment Fasciotomy

CPT-27030-HIP-JOINT-INCISION-EXPLORATION-DRAINAGE-INFECTION

CPT 27030: Hip Joint Incision, Exploration, and Drainage

Showing 1–10 of 13

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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CPT 27003: Open Adductor Tenotomy with Obturator Nerve Removal

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 27003: Open Adductor Tenotomy with Obturator Nerve Removal

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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

CPT 27003: Open Adductor Tenotomy with Obturator Nerve Removal

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Billing Code Overview

CPT 27003: Open Adductor Tenotomy with Obturator Nerve Removal

Sign up for cpt 27003 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT code 27003 represent?

Where is CPT 27003 typically performed?

Which modifiers are commonly associated with CPT 27003?

What diagnoses or clinical scenarios commonly justify use of CPT 27003?

How does CPT 27003 relate to other CPT codes listed on the page?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT code 27003 represent?

Where is CPT 27003 typically performed?

Which modifiers are commonly associated with CPT 27003?

What diagnoses or clinical scenarios commonly justify use of CPT 27003?

How does CPT 27003 relate to other CPT codes listed on the page?

References