Summary & Overview
CPT 55060: Hydrocelectomy, Bottle (Eversion) Technique
CPT code 55060 denotes a hydrocelectomy performed using the bottle (eversion) technique to remove a hydrocele from the tunica vaginalis and relieve pain or discomfort. This code captures a common urologic minor-to-moderate surgical procedure that affects adult and pediatric male patients and is relevant across outpatient surgical settings nationally. Payers and providers use this code for procedural reporting, payment determination, and quality monitoring tied to post-surgical outcomes such as recurrence and infection.
Key payers in typical national analyses include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find this publication useful for understanding the clinical context of the procedure, the typical sites of service, common billing practices, and how 55060 is positioned among related urologic procedure codes. The report also outlines benchmarking considerations, coding nuances that can affect claim adjudication, and areas where policy updates or payer-specific edits commonly arise.
Intended for billers, coders, practice managers, and policy analysts, the summary provides concise guidance on where 55060 is applied in care pathways and what to expect in administrative and clinical workflows. Data not available in the input for specific modifiers, associated taxonomies, and ICD-10 pairings are noted elsewhere in the publication.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 55060 describes a surgical procedure to remove a hydrocele, a fluid-filled sac, from the tunica vaginalis (the membrane covering a testis). The procedure uses the bottle technique, in which the provider incises the hydrocele and everts it (turns it inside out) to relieve pain or discomfort.
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Service type: Surgical procedure — hydrocelectomy using the bottle (eversion) technique
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Typical site of service: Ambulatory surgical center or hospital operating room; may also be performed in a physician office with surgical capabilities depending on clinical circumstances
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult male presenting to urology clinic with a progressively enlarging, painless or mildly uncomfortable scrotal swelling consistent with a communicating or noncommunicating hydrocele. Examination identifies a fluctuant, transilluminant scrotal mass confined to the tunica vaginalis surrounding the testis. Conservative measures (observation, aspiration if symptomatic) have been attempted or are not appropriate. After informed consent, the patient is scheduled for an elective outpatient surgical procedure under local, regional, or general anesthesia. Intraoperative workflow includes preoperative verification, positioning supine, sterile preparation of the scrotum, a midline or transverse scrotal incision, evacuation of hydrocele fluid, excision/incision and eversion of the hydrocele sac using the bottle (Lord) technique, hemostasis, and layered closure. Postoperative recovery occurs in a PACU or ambulatory recovery area with discharge instructions for wound care, activity restrictions, analgesia, and follow-up with the urology provider for postoperative assessment and suture removal if needed.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | Not a valid modifier for professional billing; placeholder | Data not available in the input. |
11 |