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| Section: | Surgery |
| Number: | S-132 |
| Topic: | Thoracoscopic Laser Ablation of Emphysematous Pulmonary Bullae |
| Effective Date: | August 1, 2005 |
| Issued Date: | August 1, 2005 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | 07/2005 |
Indications and Limitations of Coverage
Scientific evidence does not demonstrate the efficacy of thoracoscopic laser ablation of pulmonary bullae; therefore, this procedure is considered investigational/experimental and is noncovered and billable by a participating physician. Procedure code 32655 (Thoracoscopy, surgical; with pleurodesis, any method, with excision-plication of bullae, including any pleural procedure) should be used to report this service. Description Surgical bullectomy is a procedure used for the palliative treatment of patients with pulmonary bullae associated with compression or crowding of adjacent lung structures. Bullae, large airspaces in the parenchyma of the lung, are common in patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis and emphysema. As the bullae expand and cause compression of the normal pulmonary parenchyma, pulmonary function is diminished resulting in significantly increased dyspnea. Thoracoscopic laser bullectomy is designed to improve pulmonary function by contracting the bullous tissue and effectively shrinking the size of the emphysematous lung. |
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| 32655 |
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PRN References |
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A Randomized, Prospective Trial of Stapled Lung Reduction Versus Laser Bullectomy for Diffuse Emphysema, The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol. 111, No. 2, Pg. 317-322 |
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