CPT 75887 Percutaneous Transhepatic Portography Reimbursement | OpenPayer

Summary & Overview

CPT 75887: Supervision and Interpretation for Percutaneous Transhepatic Portography

CPT code 75887 represents the physician supervision and interpretation component of percutaneous transhepatic portography, an imaging procedure that assesses portal venous system patency by injecting contrast through a needle or catheter placed in the liver’s portal vein. The code is important nationally because it captures the professional component of a specialized interventional radiology service used in the diagnosis and management of portal venous disorders, portal hypertension, and pre-procedural planning for therapies.

Key payers in the analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise synthesis of clinical context, common sites of service, and the service type associated with this code. The publication also outlines expected billing considerations, commonly reported modifiers, and related procedural and diagnostic contexts where 75887 is used. The content is designed to aid revenue cycle, billing compliance, and clinical teams in understanding where this code fits within interventional radiology workflows and payer interactions. Data not available in the input will be noted where applicable.

AetnaBlue Cross Blue ShieldCigna HealthUnitedHealthcareMedicare75887CPTinterventional-radiologyportal-venous-imagingpercutaneous-transhepatic-portographydiagnostic-imagingprofessional-componenthospital-outpatient

Billing Code Overview

CPT code 75887 describes the supervision and interpretation of percutaneous transhepatic portography. This procedure involves imaging the portal venous system by injecting contrast into the liver’s portal vein via a needle or catheter to evaluate portal system patency for diagnostic or therapeutic planning.

Service type: Diagnostic vascular imaging with physician supervision and interpretation
Typical site of service: Hospital outpatient department or interventional radiology suite

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 58-year-old patient with known cirrhosis and portal hypertension presents with worsening ascites and new-onset abdominal pain. The interventional radiology team is consulted to evaluate portal venous patency and to guide potential portal decompression therapy. After informed consent, the patient is taken to the angiography suite. Under ultrasound guidance, a percutaneous transhepatic approach is used to access a portal vein branch. Contrast is injected through the needle/catheter while fluoroscopic images are obtained; the interventional radiologist performs real-time supervision and interpretation of the portogram to assess portal vein patency, identify thrombus or stenosis, and to plan or exclude portal interventions (for example, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt [TIPS] placement or portal vein angioplasty). Vital signs, procedural sedation, and standard sterile technique are documented. Images and an interpretive report are generated by the supervising physician and included in the permanent record for diagnostic and potential therapeutic decision-making.

Coding Specifications

Modifier	Description	When to Use
`26`	Professional component	Use when reporting only the physician interpretation and supervision separate from technical services provided by the facility or technologist.
`52`

CPT 75805: Unilateral Lymphatic Imaging of Abdomen or Pelvis

CPT-75872-EPIDURAL-VENOGRAPHY-SUPERVISION-INTERPRETATION

CPT 75872: Supervision and Interpretation of Epidural Venography

CPT-75880-ORBITAL-VENOGRAPHY-SUPERVISION-INTERPRETATION

CPT 75880: Supervision and Interpretation of Orbital Venography

CPT-75827-SUPERIOR-VENA-CAVA-VENOGRAPHY-SERIALOGRAPHY

CPT 75827: Superior Vena Cava Venography with Serialography

CPT-75822-BILATERAL-EXTREMITY-VENOGRAPHY-SUPERVISION-INTERPRETATION

CPT 75822: Bilateral Extremity Venography, Supervision and Interpretation

CPT-75807-BILATERAL-ABDOMINAL-PELVIC-LYMPHATIC-IMAGING-SUPERVISION-INTERPRETATION

CPT 75807: Bilateral Abdominal/Pelvic Lymphatic Imaging, Supervision & Interpretation

CPT-75870-SUPERIOR-SAGITTAL-SINUS-VENOGRAPHY-INTERPRETATION

CPT 75870: Venography of Superior Sagittal Sinus, Supervision and Interpretation

CPT-75809-IMAGING-EVALUATION-INDWELLING-INFUSION-PUMP-NONVASCULAR-SHUNT

CPT 75809: Imaging Evaluation of Indwelling Infusion Pump or Nonvascular Shunt

CPT-75893-VENOUS-BLOOD-SAMPLING-IMAGING-SUPERVISION-INTERPRETATION

CPT 75893: Imaging Supervision and Interpretation for Catheter Venous Sampling

CPT-75825-INFERIOR-VENA-CAVA-VENOGRAPHY-SERIALOGRAPHY-INTERPRETATION

CPT 75825: Inferior Vena Cava Venography with Serialography, Interpretation

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Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
2085R0200X	Interventional Radiology	Primary specialty performing percutaneous transhepatic portography and interpretation.
207RC0000X	Diagnostic Radiology	Radiologists often supervise and interpret portograms when performed for diagnostic evaluation.
2084P0200X	Vascular & Interventional Radiology	Subspecialty focused on portal venous interventions and image-guided procedures.
207K00000X	Surgery — General Surgery	General surgeons may be involved when portal access or surgical management is required.
2080S0123X	Hepatology	Hepatologists may request and interpret results to guide medical management and procedural planning.

Related Diagnoses

ICD-10 Code	Description	Clinical Relevance
`I81`	Portal vein thrombosis	Direct indication for portography to evaluate extent and patency of the portal venous system.
`K76.6`	Portal hypertension	Portography assesses portal venous anatomy and may guide decompressive interventions.
`K83.1`	Obstruction of bile duct	When biliary and portal anatomy are evaluated together; contrast injection via hepatic approach can assess biliary-portal relationships.
`C22.9`	Malignant neoplasm of liver, unspecified	Tumor invasion of portal structures may necessitate diagnostic portography prior to therapy.
`I82.89`	Other venous embolism and thrombosis of other specified veins	Used when venous thrombotic disease involves portal tributaries requiring imaging assessment.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`49441`	Diagnostic percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, including imaging, with injection of contrast (percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage may be separate)	Performed when biliary duct imaging is required in addition to or instead of portal venography; may be part of combined hepatobiliary evaluation.
`37184`	Transcatheter placement of intravascular stent(s), open or percutaneous, including imaging when performed; venous stent	Performed when portography identifies a portal vein stenosis requiring stent placement as a therapeutic follow-up.
`36010`	Introduction of needle or intracatheter, vascular; for diagnostic purposes (e.g., venous access)	Used for vascular access steps that may be performed in conjunction with the portal approach.
`75894`	Transcatheter therapy, radiological supervision and interpretation, portal venous; with angioplasty, percutaneous, any method	Used when portography is followed by percutaneous portal vein angioplasty — therapeutic extension of the diagnostic study.
`76010`	Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement (e.g., biopsy, aspiration, injection)	May be reported for additional fluoroscopic guidance during needle/catheter placement for the portogram.

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