Find policies, billing codes, payers, states, and providers

CPT 43310: Esophageal Repair/Reconstruction via Thoracotomy

CPT code 43310 denotes plastic repair or reconstruction of an esophageal defect via a chest incision (thoracotomy). This thoracic surgical procedure is used to correct structural defects of the esophagus and is distinct from procedures that repair tracheoesophageal fistulae. The code is relevant nationally for surgical billing, hospital resource planning, and specialty-specific utilization monitoring for thoracic and general surgeons.

Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise explanation of the clinical context for the procedure, typical sites of service, and the types of settings where claims for this code are most likely to originate. The publication summarizes common modifiers associated with thoracic surgical claims and flags areas where data are not available in the input.

This overview also prepares readers to review benchmarks and policy considerations related to surgical coding and reimbursement for esophageal reconstruction. The content aims to support coding accuracy, claims adjudication, and operational planning by clarifying what CPT code 43310 represents and where it is commonly performed. Data not available in the input are noted where applicable.

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 43310 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 43310 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 43310 describes plastic repair or reconstruction of an esophageal defect performed through a chest incision (thoracotomy). The procedure specifically addresses structural repair of the esophagus via an open thoracic approach and does not include repair of tracheoesophageal fistula.

Service type: Esophageal reconstructive surgery / thoracic surgical procedure

Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient hospital operating room for thoracic surgery

Find policies, billing codes, payers, states, and providers

CPT 43310: Esophageal Repair/Reconstruction via Thoracotomy

Customize your policy alerts

Sign up for cpt 43310 policy alerts

Get alerted when payer policies referencing 43310 are released or updated.

Monitor payer policy activity

Receive email alerts as soon as relevant payer policies are published or updated.

Billing Code Overview

Service type: Esophageal reconstructive surgery / thoracic surgical procedure

Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient hospital operating room for thoracic surgery

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is an adult presenting with an iatrogenic or traumatic esophageal defect identified after thoracic surgery, penetrating injury, or progressive esophageal necrosis. The patient may present with chest pain, subcutaneous emphysema, sepsis, fever, dysphagia, or pleural effusion. Diagnostic workup commonly includes chest computed tomography (CT) with contrast, esophagram (contrast swallow study), and esophagoscopy to localize and characterize the defect.

Preoperative workflow includes airway assessment, optimization of hemodynamics and infection control, broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics, and consent detailing the thoracotomy and esophageal reconstruction. In the operating room, the thoracic surgeon performs a chest incision (thoracotomy) to expose the esophagus, debrides devitalized tissue, and performs plastic repair or reconstruction of the esophageal defect which may include primary closure, patch reinforcement, or interposition of vascularized tissue. Intraoperative esophagoscopy may be used to confirm repair integrity. Postoperative care includes chest tube management, enteral nutrition via jejunostomy or nasojejunal tube as indicated, serial imaging or contrast swallow to confirm healing, and monitoring for leaks, mediastinitis, or recurrent fistula. Typical inpatient recovery occurs in a monitored surgical ward or intensive care unit for complex cases.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the work required is substantially greater than typically required (e.g., extensive debridement and complex reconstruction beyond usual scope).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is contraindicated and an unusual anesthesia circumstance is documented.
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the professional component of a separately reportable service (rare for operative code).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use if a bilateral thoracic approach or bilateral esophageal repair is performed and payer accepts bilateral modifier for this code.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when multiple distinct procedures are performed at the same operative session in addition to the esophageal repair.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is started but terminated due to extenuating circumstances.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons (co-surgeons) of distinct specialties collaborate and both are reporting operative work.
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Use when the patient meets the weight criteria and modifier is required by payer policies.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when a surgical team reports shared responsibility for a complex repair.
`78`	Unplanned return to the operating room for a related procedure following the initial procedure
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon is required and reports assistant services.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for assistant at surgery	Use when a qualified non-physician assistant provides intraoperative assistance and the payer recognizes this modifier.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208800000X	Thoracic Surgery	Primary specialty performing thoracotomy and esophageal reconstruction.
207P00000X	General Surgery	General surgeons with thoracic or esophageal experience may perform this repair.
2084P0206X	Otolaryngology - Head & Neck	In select cases of cervical/upper thoracic esophageal defects or combined airway work.
207L00000X	Surgical Oncology	Applicable when repair is performed in the context of oncologic resections involving the esophagus.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K22.2`	Diverticulum of esophagus	May result in perforation or defects requiring surgical repair in thoracic esophagus.
`K22.3`	Perforation of esophagus	Direct indication for esophageal repair when defect is in the thoracic esophagus.
`K22.4`	Fistula of esophagus	While tracheoesophageal fistula repair is excluded from the CPT description, esophageal fistulae to other structures may require reconstruction.
`S27.8XXA`	Other specified injury of thorax, initial encounter	Thoracic trauma causing esophageal injury may necessitate thoracotomy and repair.
`T81.4XXA`	Infection following a procedure, initial encounter	Postoperative infection with breakdown of anastomosis or repair can require revision reconstruction.
`C15.9`	Malignant neoplasm of esophagus, unspecified	Oncologic resection or tumor-related defects may require reconstructive repair during thoracic surgery.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`32551`	Tube thoracostomy, includes water seal (eg, for pleural drainage)	May be performed preoperatively or postoperatively to manage pleural contamination or effusion associated with an esophageal leak.
`43280`	Endoscopic placement of esophageal stent (fluoroscopic or endoscopic)	May be used as an adjunct or temporizing measure for esophageal leaks or strictures before or after definitive surgical repair.
`43235`	Esophagoscopy, flexible, diagnostic, including collection of specimen(s) by brushing or washing, when performed	Performed intraoperatively or preoperatively to evaluate the defect and confirm repair integrity.
`49440`	Insertion of tunneled intraperitoneal catheter, revision or replacement (jejunal feeding access may be coded differently)	Enteral access procedures such as jejunostomy or gastrostomy for postoperative nutrition often accompany esophageal reconstruction.
`39501`	Repair of traumatic thoracic esophageal injury via thoracotomy (example related thoracic repair codes)	Related thoracic surgical codes for management of traumatic esophageal injury that may be performed in the same clinical setting.

CPT 43300: Esophageal Reconstruction via Cervical Incision

CPT-43305-ESOPHAGEAL-REPAIR-CERVICAL-APPROACH-TRACHEOESOPHAGEAL-FISTULA-REPAIR

CPT 43305: Esophageal Repair via Cervical Approach, Tracheoesophageal Fistula Repair

CPT-43312-ESOPHAGEAL-RECONSTRUCTION-TRACHEOESOPHAGEAL-FISTULA-REPAIR

CPT 43312: Esophageal Reconstruction with Tracheoesophageal Fistula Repair

CPT-43313-CONGENITAL-ESOPHAGEAL-RECONSTRUCTION-THORACOTOMY

CPT 43313: Congenital Esophageal Reconstruction via Thoracotomy

CPT-43314-CONGENITAL-ESOPHAGEAL-REPAIR-THORACOTOMY

CPT 43314: Repair of Congenital Esophageal Defect via Thoracotomy

CPT-43320-LOWER-ESOPHAGUS-UPPER-STOMACH-REPAIR-OPEN-SURGERY

CPT 43320: Plastic Repair of Lower Esophagus and Upper Stomach

CPT-43325-DISTAL-ESOPHAGUS-REPAIR-WITH-FUNDIC-PATCH

CPT 43325: Repair of Distal Esophagus With Fundic Patch

CPT-43327-FUNDOPLASTY-OPEN-FUNDOPLICATION-ABDOMINAL-APPROACH

CPT 43327: Partial or Complete Fundoplasty (Open Abdominal Fundoplication)

CPT-43328-THORACIC-FUNDOPLASTY-FUNDOPLICATION-CHEST-APPROACH

CPT 43328: Thoracic Fundoplasty (Open Fundoplication)

CPT-43330-ESOPHAGEAL-REPAIR-ABDOMINAL-APPROACH

CPT 43330: Open Esophageal Repair via Abdominal Approach

Showing 1–10 of 30

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
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when the work required is substantially greater than typically required (e.g., extensive debridement and complex reconstruction beyond usual scope).
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when general anesthesia is contraindicated and an unusual anesthesia circumstance is documented.
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the professional component of a separately reportable service (rare for operative code).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use if a bilateral thoracic approach or bilateral esophageal repair is performed and payer accepts bilateral modifier for this code.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when multiple distinct procedures are performed at the same operative session in addition to the esophageal repair.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when the procedure is started but terminated due to extenuating circumstances.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons (co-surgeons) of distinct specialties collaborate and both are reporting operative work.
`63`	Procedure performed on infants less than 4 kg	Use when the patient meets the weight criteria and modifier is required by payer policies.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when a surgical team reports shared responsibility for a complex repair.
`78`	Unplanned return to the operating room for a related procedure following the initial procedure
`80`	Assistant surgeon	Use when an assistant surgeon is required and reports assistant services.
`AS`	Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for assistant at surgery	Use when a qualified non-physician assistant provides intraoperative assistance and the payer recognizes this modifier.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208800000X	Thoracic Surgery	Primary specialty performing thoracotomy and esophageal reconstruction.
207P00000X	General Surgery	General surgeons with thoracic or esophageal experience may perform this repair.
2084P0206X	Otolaryngology - Head & Neck	In select cases of cervical/upper thoracic esophageal defects or combined airway work.
207L00000X	Surgical Oncology	Applicable when repair is performed in the context of oncologic resections involving the esophagus.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K22.2`	Diverticulum of esophagus	May result in perforation or defects requiring surgical repair in thoracic esophagus.
`K22.3`	Perforation of esophagus	Direct indication for esophageal repair when defect is in the thoracic esophagus.
`K22.4`	Fistula of esophagus	While tracheoesophageal fistula repair is excluded from the CPT description, esophageal fistulae to other structures may require reconstruction.
`S27.8XXA`	Other specified injury of thorax, initial encounter	Thoracic trauma causing esophageal injury may necessitate thoracotomy and repair.
`T81.4XXA`	Infection following a procedure, initial encounter	Postoperative infection with breakdown of anastomosis or repair can require revision reconstruction.
`C15.9`	Malignant neoplasm of esophagus, unspecified	Oncologic resection or tumor-related defects may require reconstructive repair during thoracic surgery.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`32551`	Tube thoracostomy, includes water seal (eg, for pleural drainage)	May be performed preoperatively or postoperatively to manage pleural contamination or effusion associated with an esophageal leak.
`43280`	Endoscopic placement of esophageal stent (fluoroscopic or endoscopic)	May be used as an adjunct or temporizing measure for esophageal leaks or strictures before or after definitive surgical repair.
`43235`	Esophagoscopy, flexible, diagnostic, including collection of specimen(s) by brushing or washing, when performed	Performed intraoperatively or preoperatively to evaluate the defect and confirm repair integrity.
`49440`	Insertion of tunneled intraperitoneal catheter, revision or replacement (jejunal feeding access may be coded differently)	Enteral access procedures such as jejunostomy or gastrostomy for postoperative nutrition often accompany esophageal reconstruction.
`39501`	Repair of traumatic thoracic esophageal injury via thoracotomy (example related thoracic repair codes)	Related thoracic surgical codes for management of traumatic esophageal injury that may be performed in the same clinical setting.

CPT 43300: Esophageal Reconstruction via Cervical Incision

CPT-43305-ESOPHAGEAL-REPAIR-CERVICAL-APPROACH-TRACHEOESOPHAGEAL-FISTULA-REPAIR

CPT 43305: Esophageal Repair via Cervical Approach, Tracheoesophageal Fistula Repair

CPT-43312-ESOPHAGEAL-RECONSTRUCTION-TRACHEOESOPHAGEAL-FISTULA-REPAIR

CPT 43312: Esophageal Reconstruction with Tracheoesophageal Fistula Repair

CPT-43313-CONGENITAL-ESOPHAGEAL-RECONSTRUCTION-THORACOTOMY

CPT 43313: Congenital Esophageal Reconstruction via Thoracotomy

CPT-43314-CONGENITAL-ESOPHAGEAL-REPAIR-THORACOTOMY

CPT 43314: Repair of Congenital Esophageal Defect via Thoracotomy

CPT-43320-LOWER-ESOPHAGUS-UPPER-STOMACH-REPAIR-OPEN-SURGERY

CPT 43320: Plastic Repair of Lower Esophagus and Upper Stomach

CPT-43325-DISTAL-ESOPHAGUS-REPAIR-WITH-FUNDIC-PATCH

CPT 43325: Repair of Distal Esophagus With Fundic Patch

CPT-43327-FUNDOPLASTY-OPEN-FUNDOPLICATION-ABDOMINAL-APPROACH

CPT 43327: Partial or Complete Fundoplasty (Open Abdominal Fundoplication)

CPT-43328-THORACIC-FUNDOPLASTY-FUNDOPLICATION-CHEST-APPROACH

CPT 43328: Thoracic Fundoplasty (Open Fundoplication)

CPT-43330-ESOPHAGEAL-REPAIR-ABDOMINAL-APPROACH

CPT 43330: Open Esophageal Repair via Abdominal Approach

Showing 1–10 of 30

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.

OpenPayer

CPT 43310: Esophageal Repair/Reconstruction via Thoracotomy

Sign up for cpt 43310 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Catch payer policy changes before they impact reimbursement

Catch payer policy changes before they impact reimbursement

OpenPayer

CPT 43310: Esophageal Repair/Reconstruction via Thoracotomy

Sign up for cpt 43310 policy alerts

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 43310: Esophageal Repair/Reconstruction via Thoracotomy

Sign up for cpt 43310 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

CPT 43310: Esophageal Repair/Reconstruction via Thoracotomy

Sign up for cpt 43310 policy alerts

Billing Code Overview

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT 43310 represent and what procedures are excluded?

What clinical scenarios and diagnostic evaluations are associated with use of this code?

What preoperative and postoperative care elements are described for patients undergoing this procedure?

Which billing modifiers are commonly associated with CPT 43310 and when are they used?

What related CPT codes and diagnoses should be considered when reviewing claims for CPT 43310?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Coding Specifications

Related Diagnoses

Related CPT Codes

Related Codes

What does CPT 43310 represent and what procedures are excluded?

What clinical scenarios and diagnostic evaluations are associated with use of this code?

What preoperative and postoperative care elements are described for patients undergoing this procedure?

Which billing modifiers are commonly associated with CPT 43310 and when are they used?

What related CPT codes and diagnoses should be considered when reviewing claims for CPT 43310?

References