Summary & Overview

CPT 27071: Deep Partial Excision of Ilium, Pubis, or Greater Trochanter

CPT code 27071 defines a surgical procedure for deep partial excision of portions of pelvic or proximal femoral bone — specifically the wing of the ilium, symphysis pubis, or greater trochanter of the femur — using methods such as craterization or saucerization. This code captures targeted removal of diseased bone while preserving adjacent anatomic structures and is relevant to orthopedic, trauma, and oncologic surgical practices nationwide.

Major national payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. The coverage and payment for this service can vary by payer policy, site of service (hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient department, ambulatory surgery center), and clinical indication.

Readers will find a concise clinical and billing context for CPT code 27071, including typical settings of care, common modifiers, and the types of clinical scenarios that generate use of the code. The publication summarizes benchmark metrics where available, highlights recent policy or coding guidance that affects use of the code, and provides clarity on coding scope to support accurate claim submission and review. Data not available in the input will be noted as such in supporting sections.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicareCPT 27071orthopedic surgerybone excisionpelvic surgerygreater trochanterambulatory surgeryhospital outpatientprocedure codingsurgical coding

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 27071 describes a deep partial excision of a portion of the wing of the ilium, symphysis pubis, or greater trochanter of the femur, using techniques such as craterization or saucerization. This procedure involves targeted removal of diseased or damaged bone tissue while preserving surrounding structures.

Service type: Surgical, orthopaedic bone excision/partial ostectomy
Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient or outpatient surgical department, ambulatory surgery center

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 62-year-old male presents with localized, chronic osteomyelitis of the lateral ilium after failed conservative management including antibiotics and limited debridement. Imaging (plain radiographs and CT) demonstrates a focal sequestrum and necrotic cortical bone of the iliac wing with surrounding chronic draining sinus. The orthopedic surgeon plans an operative deep partial excision (craterization/saucerization) of the involved portion of the iliac wing to remove necrotic bone, eradicate the infected nidus, and allow soft-tissue healing. The procedure is performed in an operating room under general anesthesia with perioperative antibiotic coverage. Intraoperative steps include exposure of the ilium, identification of the necrotic area, saucerization/craterization to remove nonviable bone while preserving pelvic stability, irrigation, culture collection, and layered wound closure. Postoperative workflow includes recovery room monitoring, pain control, continuation of targeted antibiotics guided by cultures, wound checks, and outpatient orthopedic follow-up for healing and functional rehabilitation. Typical site of service is an inpatient hospital operating room or ambulatory surgery center depending on patient comorbidity and procedure complexity. Service type: surgical debridement/excision of bone (deep partial excision of iliac wing).

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the procedure required substantially greater work or complexity than typical (document rationale and addendum).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when procedure is performed under general anesthesia due to extenuating circumstances for an otherwise local/mono-procedural case.
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the professional component (interpretive work) separate from facility/technical component if applicable.
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use when identical procedure is performed on both right and left sides during the same operative session.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when this procedure is one of multiple distinct procedures performed in the same operative session.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure was partially reduced or not completed as originally planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure was started but halted for patient-related reasons prior to completion.
`59`	Distinct procedural service	Use to indicate a procedure or service not normally reported together, when appropriate to denote distinctness from other services.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of the procedure.
`78`	Return to OR for related procedure during postoperative period	Use when a related procedure for complications is performed during the global period.
`79`	Unrelated procedure or service during postoperative period	Use when an unrelated procedure is performed during the global period.
`LT`	Left side	Use to designate left-sided procedure when laterality is required.
`RT`	Right side	Use to designate right-sided procedure when laterality is required.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of the procedure.
`76`	Repeat procedure by same physician	Use when the same physician repeats the procedure within the global period.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
`207L00000X`	Orthopedic Surgery	Primary specialty performing osseous debridement and excision of iliac lesions.
`208000000X`	General Surgery	May perform pelvic bony debridement in certain settings, especially trauma or oncology.
`208C00000X`	Surgical Oncology	Performs resection/craterization when lesion is neoplastic or for complex oncologic resections.
`207SX0103X`	Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery	Performs similar procedures in pediatric populations when indicated.
`213E00000X`	Infectious Disease (consult)	Not a primary operator but commonly involved for perioperative antibiotic management and culture-directed therapy.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`M86.171`	Other osteomyelitis, right pelvic region	Osteomyelitis localized to the ilium may require deep partial excision/craterization to remove sequestra.
`M86.172`	Other osteomyelitis, left pelvic region	Same as above for left-sided disease requiring saucerization of the iliac wing.
`M86.27`	Subacute osteomyelitis, pelvis	Subacute infections of pelvic bones often require surgical debridement when conservative therapy fails.
`M86.9`	Osteomyelitis, unspecified	Used when definitive site or acuity is unspecified but surgical debridement of pelvic bone is performed.
`M84.371A`	Stress fracture, pelvis, right lower leg, initial encounter for fracture	When a localized bony defect or nonunion of the pelvis necessitates craterization or excision.
`N79.2`	Abscess of pelvic region	Presence of a pelvic soft-tissue abscess adjacent to bone may prompt combined soft-tissue and bony debridement.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`27076`	Debridement, open, deep; ilium, acetabulum, or greater trochanter, including cortical bone—extensive	May be used for more extensive open debridement of the ilium/acetabulum when greater bone removal is required beyond a partial excision.
`27310`	Excision, pelvic bone; complete (e.g., ilium, ischium, pubis)	Represents a more extensive pelvic bone excision when complete resection is performed rather than deep partial excision.
`11042`	Debridement; skin, subcutaneous tissue, and fascia (layer)	Often performed concomitantly when soft tissue debridement is needed in the same operative field.
`11045`	Debridement; muscle and/or fascia, and skin/subcutaneous tissue	Used when deeper soft-tissue debridement accompanies the bony saucerization.
`12032`	Repair, intermediate, wounds of scalp/neck/axillae/trunk/arm/leg; 2.5 cm to 7.5 cm	Used for closure of associated soft-tissue incision if layered repair is billed separately.
`CPT not provided`	Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.