Summary & Overview
CPT 46700: Anoplasty for Anal Stricture
CPT code 46700 represents an anoplasty: a surgical procedure to treat anal stricture in adults. Clinically, anoplasty is used to restore anal caliber and function when scarring or narrowing impairs defecation or causes pain. The code is relevant nationally because anoplasty procedures intersect surgical practice patterns, facility utilization (hospital operating rooms and ambulatory surgical centers), and payer coverage policies for anorectal reconstructive surgery.
Key payers discussed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of clinical context and service settings, plus relevant benchmarking and policy considerations where available. The publication highlights typical sites of service, common clinical indications, and how coverage pathways can differ between commercial payers and Medicare.
This summary prepares clinicians, billing staff, and policy analysts to understand coding implications for perioperative documentation and site-of-service selection. Where specific payer policy details, taxonomies, or ICD-10 mappings are not provided in the input, the report notes that data is not available. The content that follows focuses on benchmarks, coding guidance, and policy updates tied to surgical management of anal strictures and anoplasty services.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 46700 describes an anoplasty, a surgical procedure performed to repair or reconstruct the anus to treat a stricture (narrowing) in adults. The procedure involves surgical correction of the anal canal to restore normal caliber and function.
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Service type: Surgical procedure — anorectal reconstructive surgery
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Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or ambulatory surgical center (inpatient or outpatient surgical setting)
Data not available in the input for ICD-10 diagnoses, associated taxonomies, and related codes.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical adult patient presents with progressive anorectal pain, difficulty with bowel movements, and intermittent bleeding. Examination reveals a tight, symptomatic anal canal stricture from prior trauma, radiotherapy, or chronic inflammatory disease. After conservative measures (topical agents, stool softeners, dilation) fail, the colorectal surgeon schedules an operative anoplasty under monitored anesthesia care or general anesthesia in an outpatient surgical center or hospital operating room. The workflow includes preoperative assessment, informed consent, bowel prep as indicated, intraoperative localization and excision or mucosal advancement to widen the stenotic segment, hemostasis, and layered closure. Postoperative care includes pain control, stool softeners, wound care instructions, and a short follow-up to assess wound healing and anal caliber. Typical site of service: ambulatory surgery center or hospital outpatient department. Service type: surgical — anorectal reconstructive procedure.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when work required to perform 46700 is substantially greater than typical due to complexity or unusual operative findings. |