Summary & Overview
CPT 32310: Parietal Pleurectomy (Chest Wall Pleurectomy)
CPT code 32310 represents a parietal pleurectomy — the surgical removal of the pleural lining from the chest wall. This thoracic surgical code is used for procedures addressing pleural disease where excision of the parietal pleura is clinically indicated. Nationally, procedures coded with 32310 are relevant to hospital surgical services, thoracic surgery departments, and payer policy for inpatient and certain outpatient surgical settings.
Key payers considered include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of how the code maps to clinical practice, its typical site of service, and the service type. The publication provides benchmarks and reimbursement context where available, summarizes relevant coding guidance and common modifier usage, and outlines clinical scenarios in which a parietal pleurectomy is documented. It also highlights areas where policy updates or payer-specific rules commonly affect coverage and billing for thoracic surgical procedures.
This material is written for a national audience and is intended to clarify the clinical and administrative meaning of CPT code 32310, support accurate coding, and inform discussions between providers, hospital billing teams, and payers.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 32310 describes a parietal pleurectomy, a surgical procedure in which the provider removes the pleural lining of the chest wall. The service entails excision of the parietal pleura and is typically performed for conditions affecting the pleural surface that require surgical removal of the chest wall lining.
Service type: Surgical procedure — thoracic surgery
Typical site of service: Operating room or surgical suite in an acute care hospital
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult presenting with recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax or persistent pleural disease (e.g., recurrent pleural effusion, trapped lung, or persistent air leak) who requires operative management to prevent recurrence. The patient often has prior conservative therapy (chest tube drainage, chemical pleurodesis) that failed or is unsuitable. Preoperative evaluation includes chest radiograph and CT chest to define pleural pathology and pulmonary function testing to assess surgical risk. The parietal pleurectomy is performed in an operating room under general anesthesia with single‑lung ventilation. The surgeon makes a thoracotomy or thoracoscopic port incisions, evacuates pleural fluid or blood if present, and removes or strips the parietal pleura from the chest wall to produce pleural symphysis. Intraoperative steps include control of bleeding, inspection of the lung for air leaks, and possible adjunct procedures (e.g., pleural abrasion, stapling of blebs). Postoperative care includes chest tube management, pain control, respiratory therapy, and radiographic monitoring. Typical disposition is postoperative inpatient care until air leak resolution and adequate re‑expansion of the lung.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when work, time, or technical effort is substantially greater than usual for 32310 (document specifics). |