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CPT 47015: Laparotomy for Aspiration or Injection of Liver Cysts/Abscesses

CPT code 47015 designates a laparotomy performed to aspirate or inject liver parasitic cysts or abscesses. This open abdominal surgical procedure is used when direct access to hepatic lesions is required for drainage or instillation of therapeutics. Nationally, the code matters because it captures a high-acuity operative intervention with implications for surgical reimbursement, hospital resource use, and clinical care pathways for hepatic infections and parasitic disease.

Key payers covered in the analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of clinical context for use of the code, typical sites of service, and the operational significance of reporting an open laparotomy approach versus percutaneous or minimally invasive alternatives. The publication summarizes commonly associated billing modifiers and flags where Data not available in the input prevents reporting of associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, or related codes.

The content is organized to provide quick benchmarking and policy-relevant notes, clinical indications for coding 47015, and practical notes on place-of-service implications for surgical scheduling, facility billing, and payer adjudication.

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Billing Code Overview

CPT code 47015 describes a laparotomy with aspiration or injection of liver parasitic cysts or abscesses. The procedure involves a surgical incision through the abdominal wall to access the abdominal cavity, followed by direct aspiration or injection into the liver lesion to drain abscesses or treat parasitic cysts.

Service type: Open surgical abdominal procedure for hepatic lesion management
Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient surgical suite depending on clinical stability and complexity

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CPT 47015: Laparotomy for Aspiration or Injection of Liver Cysts/Abscesses

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Billing Code Overview

Service type: Open surgical abdominal procedure for hepatic lesion management
Typical site of service: Inpatient or outpatient surgical suite depending on clinical stability and complexity

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A typical patient is a 45-year-old male from an endemic region who presents with right upper quadrant abdominal pain, fever, and malaise. Imaging (ultrasound or CT) identifies a hepatic cystic lesion suspicious for a parasitic hydatid cyst or a hepatic abscess with loculated fluid. After antimicrobial therapy and preoperative assessment, the patient is taken to the operating room for an open exploratory laparotomy to access the liver. Under general anesthesia, the surgeon performs a laparotomy incision, exposes the liver, and performs aspiration of cystic fluid for diagnostic culture and parasitology or injects scolicidal agent into a hydatid cyst. Intraoperative steps may include isolation of the operative field, controlled aspiration to reduce cyst tension, irrigation, possible partial cyst excision or drainage, hemostasis, and placement of drains. Postoperatively the patient is monitored in the post-anesthesia care unit, receives analgesia and antibiotics as indicated, and follows up with infectious disease or hepatobiliary surgery for continued management and definitive care planning.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`22`	Increased procedural services	Use when work, time, and complexity significantly exceed typical for `47015` and documentation supports increased work.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when procedure is performed under general anesthesia but circumstances require use of general anesthesia when typically local/regional would suffice.
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the professional component of a service (rare for `47015`, may apply to separately billable interpretation services).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use if bilateral abdominal access and bilateral liver procedures are performed and payer requires bilateral modifier for open procedures.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when `47015` is reported with additional distinct surgical procedures during the same operative session.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned and documentation supports decreased service.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when procedure is started but aborted for patient safety reasons prior to completion.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of the procedure.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when a surgical team performs the procedure and payer recognizes team reporting.
`78`	Return to OR for related procedure during global period	Use when the patient returns to the operating room for a related procedure during the postoperative global period.
`79`	Not listed in provided modifiers — Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208000000X	General Surgery	Most common specialty performing open laparotomy with liver cyst aspiration or injection.
208N00000X	Surgical Oncology	Involvement when malignant or complex hepatic lesions are suspected.
207L00000X	Infectious Disease	Consults for parasitic or abscess management; not typically the operating provider.
208800000X	Hepatology	Manages liver-specific medical care and perioperative coordination.
2086S0122X	Transplant Surgery	May be involved for complex hepatic disease requiring transplant evaluation.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K75.0`	Abscess of liver	Primary indication for aspiration or drainage during laparotomy for source control and diagnostic culture.
`B67.0`	Hydatid disease of liver (Echinococcus granulosus)	Parasitic cysts of the liver commonly require aspiration and injection of scolicidal agents as part of surgical management.
`K71.7`	Toxic liver disease with hepatic necrosis	May complicate hepatic infections requiring operative intervention; aspiration may be diagnostic.
`K83.0`	Cholangitis	Severe biliary infections can be associated with hepatic abscesses necessitating surgical drainage.
`R10.11`	Right upper quadrant abdominal pain	Common presenting symptom leading to imaging and subsequent operative management such as `47015`.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`49000`	Exploratory laparotomy, exploratory celiotomy with or without biopsy(s) (separate procedure)	May be performed prior to or with `47015` for abdominal exploration and biopsies.
`47120`	Partial hepatectomy, single lobectomy	Performed when definitive surgical resection of a hepatic lesion is indicated after or during diagnosis involving aspiration/injection.
`10160`	Puncture aspiration of abscess, simple or single	May represent a less invasive alternative (percutaneous) to `47015` for hepatic abscess drainage when laparotomy is not required.
`49422`	Peritoneal drainage (open)	May be performed concurrently if peritoneal contamination or drainage is needed after liver cyst aspiration.
`76942`	Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (e.g., aspiration, biopsy)	Used intraoperatively or preoperatively to guide aspiration or injection into hepatic cysts when image guidance is utilized.

Related Codes

CPT-47000-PERCUTANEOUS-LIVER-BIOPSY

CPT 47000: Percutaneous Liver Biopsy

CPT-47001-LIVER-BIOPSY-ADD-ON-PROCEDURE

CPT 47001: Liver Biopsy, Add-on Procedure

CPT-47010-HEPATOTOMY-LIVER-ABSCESS-CYST-DRAINAGE

CPT 47010: Hepatotomy for Liver Abscess or Cyst Drainage

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 work, time, and complexity significantly exceed typical for `47015` and documentation supports increased work.
`23`	Unusual anesthesia	Use when procedure is performed under general anesthesia but circumstances require use of general anesthesia when typically local/regional would suffice.
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the professional component of a service (rare for `47015`, may apply to separately billable interpretation services).
`50`	Bilateral procedure	Use if bilateral abdominal access and bilateral liver procedures are performed and payer requires bilateral modifier for open procedures.
`51`	Multiple procedures	Use when `47015` is reported with additional distinct surgical procedures during the same operative session.
`52`	Reduced services	Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned and documentation supports decreased service.
`53`	Discontinued procedure	Use when procedure is started but aborted for patient safety reasons prior to completion.
`62`	Two surgeons	Use when two surgeons of different specialties work together as primary surgeons performing distinct portions of the procedure.
`66`	Surgical team	Use when a surgical team performs the procedure and payer recognizes team reporting.
`78`	Return to OR for related procedure during global period	Use when the patient returns to the operating room for a related procedure during the postoperative global period.
`79`	Not listed in provided modifiers — Data not available in the input.	Data not available in the input.

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
208000000X	General Surgery	Most common specialty performing open laparotomy with liver cyst aspiration or injection.
208N00000X	Surgical Oncology	Involvement when malignant or complex hepatic lesions are suspected.
207L00000X	Infectious Disease	Consults for parasitic or abscess management; not typically the operating provider.
208800000X	Hepatology	Manages liver-specific medical care and perioperative coordination.
2086S0122X	Transplant Surgery	May be involved for complex hepatic disease requiring transplant evaluation.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`K75.0`	Abscess of liver	Primary indication for aspiration or drainage during laparotomy for source control and diagnostic culture.
`B67.0`	Hydatid disease of liver (Echinococcus granulosus)	Parasitic cysts of the liver commonly require aspiration and injection of scolicidal agents as part of surgical management.
`K71.7`	Toxic liver disease with hepatic necrosis	May complicate hepatic infections requiring operative intervention; aspiration may be diagnostic.
`K83.0`	Cholangitis	Severe biliary infections can be associated with hepatic abscesses necessitating surgical drainage.
`R10.11`	Right upper quadrant abdominal pain	Common presenting symptom leading to imaging and subsequent operative management such as `47015`.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`49000`	Exploratory laparotomy, exploratory celiotomy with or without biopsy(s) (separate procedure)	May be performed prior to or with `47015` for abdominal exploration and biopsies.
`47120`	Partial hepatectomy, single lobectomy	Performed when definitive surgical resection of a hepatic lesion is indicated after or during diagnosis involving aspiration/injection.
`10160`	Puncture aspiration of abscess, simple or single	May represent a less invasive alternative (percutaneous) to `47015` for hepatic abscess drainage when laparotomy is not required.
`49422`	Peritoneal drainage (open)	May be performed concurrently if peritoneal contamination or drainage is needed after liver cyst aspiration.
`76942`	Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement (e.g., aspiration, biopsy)	Used intraoperatively or preoperatively to guide aspiration or injection into hepatic cysts when image guidance is utilized.

Related Codes

CPT-47000-PERCUTANEOUS-LIVER-BIOPSY

CPT 47000: Percutaneous Liver Biopsy

CPT-47001-LIVER-BIOPSY-ADD-ON-PROCEDURE

CPT 47001: Liver Biopsy, Add-on Procedure

CPT-47010-HEPATOTOMY-LIVER-ABSCESS-CYST-DRAINAGE

CPT 47010: Hepatotomy for Liver Abscess or Cyst Drainage

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 47015: Laparotomy for Aspiration or Injection of Liver Cysts/Abscesses

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Billing Code Overview

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CPT 47015: Laparotomy for Aspiration or Injection of Liver Cysts/Abscesses

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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