Summary & Overview
CPT 27680: Release of Single Flexor or Extensor Tendon, Leg/Ankle
CPT code 27680 denotes surgical release of a single flexor or extensor tendon in the leg or ankle to treat restrictions from scarring or adhesions. This procedure is commonly used to restore tendon motion, reduce pain, and improve lower-extremity function after injury, chronic tendon disease, or postsurgical scarring. Nationally, CPT code 27680 is relevant across hospital outpatient departments, ambulatory surgery centers, and inpatient surgical services where foot and ankle procedures are performed.
Key payers in this overview include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for when CPT code 27680 is used, typical sites of service, and the common operational considerations surrounding billing for single-tendon release in the leg or ankle. The publication also outlines benchmarking metrics and policy considerations that affect coverage and coding practice, as well as common modifier usage and payer variability where available. Data not available in the input for specific charge benchmarks, payer-specific coverage rules, associated taxonomies, and ICD-10 diagnosis mappings are noted as unavailable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 27680 describes the surgical release of a single flexor or extensor tendon in the leg and/or ankle. The procedure addresses a tendon that is restricted by scarring or adhesions to restore tendon gliding, improve range of motion, relieve pain, and return function.
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Service type: Surgical tendon release (open or limited release of a single flexor or extensor tendon of the leg/ankle)
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Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient or outpatient surgical setting, ambulatory surgery center, or operating room where lower-extremity tendon procedures are performed.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult presenting with progressive ankle or hindfoot pain, decreased range of motion, and impaired gait after prior trauma, surgery, or chronic tendinopathy. The patient often reports stiffness, catching, or inability to dorsiflex/plantarflex normally. Conservative care including physical therapy, orthotics, activity modification, and corticosteroid injections has failed. Imaging (MRI or ultrasound) demonstrates adhesions, scar formation, or tendon tethering of a single flexor or extensor tendon in the leg or around the ankle. The orthopedic or podiatric surgeon schedules an operative tendon release to free the tendon from adhesions and restore gliding function.
Preoperative workflow includes history and focused exam, imaging review, informed consent documenting functional limitation and failed conservative care, pre-op anesthesia evaluation, and appropriate preoperative clearance. The procedure is typically performed in an ambulatory surgery center or hospital operating room under regional or general anesthesia. Postoperative care includes pain control, immobilization or controlled range-of-motion protocol, wound care, and outpatient physical therapy to maintain tendon glide and restore strength and gait.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
LT | Left side | When the procedure is performed on the left leg/ankle tendon |