Summary & Overview
CPT 61544: Excision or Coagulation of Choroid Plexus
CPT code 61544 denotes a neurosurgical procedure to excise or coagulate the choroid plexus within the brain ventricles. This intervention is performed to manage conditions linked to choroid plexus pathology, including cases where reducing cerebrospinal fluid production is clinically indicated. The code is relevant nationally due to its association with specialized neurosurgical care and inpatient procedural billing. Key payers in the national landscape include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. This publication outlines the clinical context of 61544, expected sites of service, and payer coverage considerations. Readers will find concise benchmarks and coding guidance, an overview of common billing modifiers provided in the input, and links to related surgical code groupings where available. The summary addresses clinical indications, typical procedural settings, and the coding context needed for billing and revenue-cycle teams assessing inpatient neurosurgical procedures. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable; the content focuses on national-level implications rather than state-specific policy. This resource is intended for billing managers, clinical coders, and health policy analysts seeking a clear, concise reference for CPT code 61544.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 61544 describes a neurosurgical procedure in which the provider excises or coagulates the choroid plexus, a vascular tissue complex located within the brain ventricles. The procedure may involve surgical excision or destruction by applying electrical current or heat (coagulation) to reduce cerebrospinal fluid production or address pathology associated with the choroid plexus.
Service type: Neurosurgical operative procedure
Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or inpatient surgical setting, including tertiary care centers that provide neurosurgical services.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a pediatric or adult patient with symptomatic hydrocephalus due to choroid plexus hypersecretion or intraventricular hemorrhage causing recurrent ventriculomegaly refractory to shunting or endoscopic third ventriculostomy. The patient presents with progressive headache, nausea, vomiting, altered mental status, gait disturbance, or rising intracranial pressure on imaging. After neurologic and neuroimaging evaluation (CT or MRI) confirms enlarged lateral ventricles with prominent choroid plexus or CSF overproduction, the neurosurgery team schedules a stereotactic or endoscopic procedure.
Preoperative workflow includes informed consent, anesthesia evaluation, coagulation and infection risk assessment, and perioperative antibiotics per protocol. Intraoperative workflow involves neuronavigation and either endoscopic visualization or open craniotomy approach to expose the ventricular choroid plexus, followed by excision or electrocautery coagulation of the choroid plexus. Hemostasis and CSF pathway patency are confirmed, and the patient is monitored in a post-anesthesia care unit and often a neurological ICU for neurologic status, intracranial pressure, and CSF output. Postoperative care includes neuroimaging to assess ventricular size, pain control, infection surveillance, and discharge planning with follow-up for shunt dependency or additional CSF diversion procedures.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased Procedural Services |