CPT 50705 Ureteral Occlusion Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 50705: Image-Guided Ureteral Occlusion

CPT code 50705 is an add-on image-guided urologic procedure used to deliberately occlude the ureter, typically employed when urinary diversion via nephrostomy has failed to resolve a ureterovaginal fistula. The code specifies use of ultrasound and/or fluoroscopy with radiological supervision and interpretation, reflecting a specialized interventional service that intersects urology and interventional radiology. Nationally, this code matters because it identifies a targeted, resource-intensive intervention for complex urinary tract complications and carries implications for facility resources, imaging utilization, and care coordination. Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will gain a concise clinical and billing overview of CPT code 50705, including the service context, typical site of service, and common modifiers and payer considerations where available. The publication also outlines benchmarking and policy-relevant points for payers and administrators, and provides clinical context on when an add-on ureteral occlusion is used. Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, and related codes.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicareCPT 50705ureteral occlusionimage-guided procedureinterventional urologyfluoroscopyultrasound-guidedradiological supervisionhospital outpatient

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 50705 describes an add-on image-guided ureteral occlusion procedure in which the provider deliberately occludes the ureter to block urine flow. Imaging guidance is provided using ultrasound and/or fluoroscopy that display live images on a video monitor. The service explicitly includes radiological supervision and interpretation as part of the procedure.

Service type: Image-guided interventional urologic procedure (add-on)
Typical site of service: Hospital interventional radiology suite or hospital outpatient department where fluoroscopy and ultrasound-guided urologic interventions are performed

Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, and related codes.

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 54-year-old woman presents with persistent urinary leakage per vagina after a complicated hysterectomy that resulted in a ureterovaginal fistula. Prior attempts at urinary diversion with a percutaneous nephrostomy catheter failed to control leakage. The interventional radiology team and urology consult determine that definitive distal ureteral occlusion is indicated to stop urine flow from the affected kidney when repair is not feasible or has failed. Under conscious sedation or monitored anesthesia care in the interventional radiology suite, the patient undergoes image-guided (ultrasound and/or fluoroscopy) endoluminal ureteral occlusion. The procedure involves catheter access to the ureter, deployment of occlusive devices or embolic materials to deliberately block the ureter, and radiological supervision and interpretation. Post-procedure imaging confirms occlusion and the patient is observed for pain control, hematuria, and signs of infection before discharge to home or inpatient recovery based on clinical status.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when billing only the physician interpretation and report for the radiologic portion of the procedure when technical component billed separately.
`52`

Related Codes

CPT-50727-UROSTOMY-STOMA-REVISION

CPT 50727: Revision of Urostomy or Urinary Stoma

CPT-50770-URETERAL-RECONSTRUCTION-URETEROURETEROSTOMY-CONTRALATERAL-ANASTOMOSIS

CPT 50770: Ureteral Reconstruction with Contralateral Ureter Anastomosis

CPT-50820-ILEAL-CONDUIT-URINARY-DIVERSION-EXTERNAL-STOMA

CPT 50820: Ileal Conduit Urinary Diversion with External Stoma

CPT-50706-URETERAL-BALLOON-DILATION-IMAGE-GUIDED

CPT 50706: Image-Guided Ureteral Balloon Dilation

CPT-50783-URETERAL-REIMPLANTATION-EXTENSIVE-RECONSTRUCTION

CPT 50783: Ureteral Reimplantation with Extensive Reconstruction

CPT-50782-URETERAL-REIMPLANTATION-DUPLICATED-URETER-REPAIR

CPT 50782: Ureteral Reimplantation for Duplicated Ureter Repair

CPT-50750-URETEROCALYCOSTOMY-UPPER-URETER-TO-RENAL-CALYX

CPT 50750: Ureterocalycostomy to Bypass Proximal Ureteral Obstruction

CPT-50722-URETEROLYSIS-OVARIAN-VEIN-COMPRESSION

CPT 50722: Ureteral Decompression for Ovarian Vein Compression

CPT-50930-URETEROVISCERAL-FISTULA-EXCISION-AND-REPAIR

CPT 50930: Excision of Ureterovisceral Fistula and Repair

CPT-50800-URETEROCOLONIC-ANASTOMOSIS-URINARY-DIVERSION

CPT 50800: Ureterocolonic Anastomosis for Urinary Diversion

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Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2080P0000X	Interventional Radiology	Primary specialty performing image-guided ureteral occlusion.
207X00000X	Diagnostic Radiology (with interventional skills)	Radiologist performing image guidance and interpretation.
208800000X	Urology	Urologists may perform or co-manage cases and provide pre/postoperative care.
363L00000X	Vascular and Interventional Radiology	Overlap with interventional radiology specialists performing embolization/occlusion.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`N82`	Vagina-urethra-vaginal fistula and other fistula of female genital tract (note: use specific 4th/5th characters as applicable)	Ureterovaginal fistula often reported under fistula codes; indicates abnormal communication causing urinary leakage and is a primary indication for ureteral occlusion when repair fails.
`N28.89`	Other specified disorders of kidney and ureter	Used for unspecified ureteral disorders contributing to need for occlusion when a more specific code is not applicable.
`N13.6`	Pyonephrosis	Infection or obstruction of the collecting system may complicate decision-making and indicates need for definitive diversion or occlusion.
`N13.1`	Hydronephrosis with ureteral stricture (other)	Chronic obstruction or stricture may coexist and lead to interventions including ureteral occlusion.
`N99.89`	Other postprocedural disorders of genitourinary system, not elsewhere classified	Used for complications following prior pelvic surgery (eg, hysterectomy) that result in ureterovaginal fistula when specific code not available.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`50705`	Ureteral occlusion, add-on procedure; performed under imaging guidance with radiological supervision and interpretation	Primary code describing the deliberate image-guided ureteral occlusion procedure.
`51701`	Placement of ureteral catheter, unilateral (eg, retrograde)	May be performed prior to or during occlusion attempts to access or delineate the ureter.
`50392`	Placement of ureteral stent (Note: code represents cystoscopic/ureteroscopic stent placement)	Performed in alternative management or when temporary drainage is attempted before definitive occlusion.
`50240`	Nephrostomy, percutaneous, including catheter placement, with imaging guidance	Prior urinary diversion via nephrostomy is often performed before or when occlusion is considered; may be present in the patient history.
`76937`	Ultrasound guidance for needle placement (eg, for percutaneous procedures)	Used when ultrasound guidance is utilized during access to the collecting system or ureter during the occlusion procedure.
`77002`	Fluoroscopic guidance for percutaneous procedures (radiologic supervision and interpretation)	Represents fluoroscopic imaging guidance used during device placement and occlusion maneuvers.