CPT 38760 Superficial Inguinofemoral Lymphadenectomy Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 38760: Superficial Inguinofemoral Lymph Node Excision

CPT code 38760 represents the surgical excision of superficial inguinal and femoral (inguinofemoral) lymph nodes, a procedure commonly used in oncologic management of cancers affecting the lower abdomen, pelvis, or lower extremity. Nationally, this code is important for capturing surgical care related to regional lymphadenectomy, informing surgical quality measurement, reimbursement, and care coordination across inpatient and outpatient surgical settings. Key payers in the analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.

Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context and the typical settings for this procedure, plus benchmarking insights and policy-relevant considerations. The publication outlines utilization patterns, common coding considerations, and comparisons across major payers where available. It also summarizes relevant documentation elements that typically support billing for a superficial inguinofemoral lymph node excision and highlights areas where payer policy or prior authorization may influence coding and payment. Data not available in the input are noted where applicable.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare38760CPTsurgical-lymphadenectomyinguinal-lymph-node-excisiononcologic-surgeryoperating-roomsurgical-proceduresbilling-and-coding

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 38760 describes the surgical excision of superficial inguinal and femoral lymph nodes. The procedure involves removal of lymph nodes located in the groin and upper thigh regions; it does not include excision of lymph nodes situated deep beneath muscle layers. This operation is commonly performed for oncologic indications involving malignancy of the lower abdomen, pelvis, or lower extremity when removal of superficial inguinofemoral lymph nodes is indicated.

Service type: Surgical lymph node excision (superficial inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy)
Typical site of service: Operating room or surgical suite, performed at the inguinal/groin and proximal thigh (femoral) region

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 62-year-old female with a recently diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva is scheduled for surgical management that includes excision of the primary tumor and regional lymph node assessment. The surgical team plans an inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy to remove superficial inguinal and femoral lymph nodes for staging and local disease control. The patient presents preoperatively to the outpatient surgical clinic for informed consent, history and physical, and perioperative planning. On the day of surgery, general anesthesia is induced in an ambulatory surgical center or hospital operating room. The surgeon makes an incision in the groin crease, dissects through subcutaneous tissues to identify and excise superficial inguinofemoral lymph nodes while preserving deep femoral and pelvic nodes. Specimens are sent for frozen section or permanent pathology. Postoperative care includes wound management, pain control, DVT prophylaxis, and follow-up for pathology results and adjuvant therapy planning.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`11`	Normal or routine postoperative care	When reporting the global surgical service during the postoperative period for the primary surgeon.
`22`	Increased procedural services

CPT 38724: Excision of Cervical Lymph Nodes (Neck Dissection)

CPT-38740-AXILLARY-LYMPH-NODE-EXCISION-SUPERFICIAL

CPT 38740: Superficial Axillary Lymph Node Excision

CPT-38770-PELVIC-LYMPH-NODE-EXCISION

CPT 38770: Excision of Pelvic Lymph Nodes

CPT-38700-SUPRAHYOID-LYMPHADENECTOMY

CPT 38700: Suprahyoid Lymph Node Excision

CPT-38745-AXILLARY-LYMPH-NODE-DISSECTION-COMPLETE

CPT 38745: Complete Axillary Lymph Node Dissection

CPT-38780-RETROPERITONEAL-ABDOMINAL-LYMPHADENECTOMY

CPT 38780: Retroperitoneal and Abdominal Lymphadenectomy

CPT-38720-CERVICAL-LYMPHADENECTOMY-COMPLETE-LYMPH-NODE-EXCISION

CPT 38720: Complete Cervical Lymph Node Excision

CPT-38746-THORACIC-MEDIASTINAL-LYMPH-NODE-REMOVAL-ADD-ON

CPT 38746: Thoracic and Mediastinal Lymph Node Removal, Add-on Procedure

CPT-38747-ABDOMINAL-LYMPHADENECTOMY-ADD-ON

CPT 38747: Abdominal Lymphadenectomy, Add-On

CPT-38765-INGUINOFEMORAL-AND-PELVIC-LYMPH-NODE-EXCISION

CPT 38765: Inguinofemoral and Pelvic Lymph Node Excision

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208000000X	General Surgery	Most common specialty performing inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy for oncologic indications.
208600000X	Surgery - Surgical Oncology	Specialty focusing on oncologic resections and nodal staging.
207L00000X	Obstetrics & Gynecology	Gynecologic oncologists commonly perform this procedure for vulvar or lower genital tract cancers.
2084P0800X	Vascular Surgery	May be involved when vascular control or complex femoral dissections are required.
363LF0000X	Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery	May assist with complex soft tissue reconstruction or flap coverage after extensive node dissection.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`C51.9`	Malignant neoplasm of vulva, unspecified	Vulvar cancer commonly requires inguinofemoral lymph node assessment for staging and treatment planning.
`C49.2`	Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue of pelvic region and thigh	Soft tissue malignancies of the lower abdomen or proximal thigh may require regional superficial node excision.
`C60.9`	Malignant neoplasm of penis, unspecified	Penile cancers may drain to inguinal nodes and require superficial inguinofemoral node excision for staging.
`C63.2`	Malignant neoplasm of spermatic cord	Tumors of lower genital tract or proximal structures can involve groin nodal basins.
`C80.1`	Malignant (primary) neoplasm, unspecified site	Advanced or metastatic presentations where nodal sampling may be indicated for diagnosis.
`I96`	Gangrene, not elsewhere classified	Severe soft tissue infection or ischemia of the groin requiring debridement and possible node sampling in complex cases.
`R22.4`	Localized swelling, mass and lump, trunk	Unexplained groin mass prompting excisional biopsy of superficial nodes for diagnosis.
`B37.3`	Candidiasis of vulva and vagina	Included only when complicated infectious processes necessitate surgical evaluation of regional nodes (less common).
",

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`19301`	Mastectomy, partial (for context of regional node management in breast cancer)	Performed in other oncologic sites where regional node excision is part of cancer surgery; included as contextual comparison but not typically performed simultaneously with inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy.
`38525`	Biopsy or excision of lymph node(s); superficial cervical or axillary or intrathoracic nodes, open	Another lymph node excision code for superficial nodes in different anatomic regions; conceptually similar technique and coding considerations.
`38900`	Intraoperative identification (eg, mapping) of sentinel node(s) using tracer substance with injection	Sentinel lymph node mapping may precede or accompany selective superficial inguinofemoral node excision when sentinel technique is used.
`36415`	Collection of venous blood by venipuncture	Common ancillary service performed perioperatively for labs, crossmatch, or serologies.
`11042`	Debridement, subcutaneous tissue (simple)	May be reported when additional debridement or extensive soft tissue work is required in the groin wound during the same operative session.

OpenPayer