Summary & Overview
CPT 58943: Abdominal Oophorectomy with Staging
CPT code 58943 covers abdominal oophorectomy with staging procedures for ovarian, tubal, or primary peritoneal cancer, including removal of part or all of one or both ovaries, lymph node biopsies, and tissue sampling. This surgical oncology procedure is clinically significant due to its role in cancer staging, cytoreduction, and guiding subsequent systemic therapy; it is performed in hospital operating rooms and commonly requires inpatient care and multidisciplinary perioperative management. Nationally, such procedures affect surgical oncology resource use, hospital throughput, and efforts to standardize cancer-directed surgical care. Key payers referenced in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical and billing profile of the code, context on where the service is typically provided, common modifiers and billing considerations supplied in the input, and guidance on where to find additional coding relationships. The publication outlines expected service lines and clinical context for coding teams, revenue cycle staff, and clinical leads, and highlights areas where further payer-specific policy review may be needed. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 58943 describes a surgical procedure for removal of one or both ovaries (oophorectomy) performed through an abdominal approach for treatment of ovarian, tubal, or primary peritoneal cancer. The operation may include partial or complete removal of one or both ovaries depending on the extent of malignancy, with biopsies of regional lymph nodes and collection of tissue samples. The procedure may also include removal of one or both fallopian tubes and the omentum at the surgeon's discretion based on intraoperative findings.
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Service type: Major abdominal gynecologic oncologic surgery (oophorectomy with staging and sampling)
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Typical site of service: Inpatient or hospital operating room via an abdominal approach
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 58-year-old postmenopausal woman presents with increasing abdominal distension, early satiety, and pelvic pain. Imaging (transvaginal ultrasound and CT abdomen/pelvis) demonstrates a complex adnexal mass with omental caking and suspicious pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenopathy. CA-125 is elevated. After multidisciplinary tumor board review, the gynecologic oncology surgeon schedules an exploratory laparotomy with staging and cytoreductive intent.
Perioperative workflow: preoperative evaluation includes informed consent for exploratory laparotomy, possible unilateral or bilateral oophorectomy, possible salpingectomy, omentectomy, and pelvic/para-aortic lymph node sampling or dissection. Intraoperatively the surgeon performs an abdominal incision, inspects intraperitoneal surfaces, removes one or both ovaries (oophorectomy) as indicated by disease extent, obtains lymph node biopsies, and takes peritoneal and omental tissue samples for histopathology. Specimens are sent for frozen section as indicated and final pathology defines definitive staging and adjuvant therapy planning. Postoperative care includes inpatient monitoring, pain control, VTE prophylaxis, and coordination with medical oncology for chemotherapy if malignancy is confirmed.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | Anesthesia not requested/unknown | Rarely used; included in raw list but not typically appended to a surgical CPT by the surgeon |