I would use 478.19 for the concha bullosa of the inferior turbinates. Alot of coders seem to think that 733.20 is the proper code, I cannot tell you how many times I see this.
When the middle turbinate becomes pneumatized, or filled with air, the term concha bullosa is applied. CPT code 31240 ( Nasal/sinus endoscopy, surgical; with concha bullosa resection) is employed for an endoscopic resection of a concha bullosa.
We see patients who have sinus pain due to concha bullosa - the best we can come up with is G50.1 but we think there may be a better choice. Ideas? Another would be our asymmetrical hearing loss patients - H90.5 cross-references but surely there is a better option?
The index (page 81) excision, concha bullosa - see Ethmoidectomy. However, in NCCH Casemix, DRGs & clinical coding (2000),that advises to assign disease code J34. 3 Hypertrophy of nasal turbinates for concha bullosa, the advice is to assign for removal of concha bullosa 41689-00 [376] partial turbinectomy.
There is a strong association between the presence of a concha bullosa and contralateral deviation of the nasal septum. Nasal septal deviation away from the dominant concha, with preserved adjacent air channels, suggests that the deviation is not a direct result of mass effect from the concha.
Turbinate pneumatisation, also known as concha bullosa, refers to the existence of an air cell inside the turbinate. While pneumatization of the middle and superior turbinates are common, the presence of pneumatization of the inferior turbinate, otherwise known as an inferior concha bullosa is very rare.
Concha bullosa happens when one of the conchae, or turbinates, inside your nose becomes filled with a pocket of air. This is also known as pneumatization of the turbinate. There are three pairs of conchae in your nose on either side of the septum. Your septum is the structure that divides your nose in half.
A concha bullosa (CB) represents the presence of air cell in the turbinates, and the middle turbinate (MT) concha bullosa is a common nasal cavity anatomical variation. Pneumatization of the MT happens due to variation in the ethmoidal air cell system development.
A concha bullosa is a pneumatized (air-filled) cavity within a nasal concha, also known as a turbinate. Bullosa refers to the air-filled cavity within the turbinate. It is a normal anatomic variant seen in up to half the population.
The turbinates are made of bone and soft tissue and are located inside the nose near the septum. The nasal septum is the structure that divides your nasal passages into the right and left sides. It is made up of cartilage and bone, which are lined with a thin membrane called the mucosa.
nasal concha, also called Turbinate, or Turbinal, any of several thin, scroll-shaped bony elements forming the upper chambers of the nasal cavities. They increase the surface area of these cavities, thus providing for rapid warming and humidification of air as it passes to the lungs.
Inferior nasal turbinates are located inside your nose on either side of your nasal septum. They are bone covered with erectile soft tissue that helps create turbulence inside the nose to warm, purify and humidify the air that we breathe.
Concha bullosa is a normal variant and is one of the most common variations of sinonasal anatomy, it is identified in ~35% (range 14-53%) of patients 1.
Turbinates are small structures inside the nose that cleanse and humidify air that passes through the nostrils into the lungs.
CPT codes 30130 and 30140 specify the inferior turbinates.
CPT for ENT articles are a collaborative effort between the Academy’s team of CPT Advisors, members of the Physician Payment Policy (3P) workgroup, and health policy staff. Articles are developed to address common coding questions received by the health policy team, as well as to clarify coding changes and correct coding principles for frequently reported ENT procedures. These articles are not intended as legal, medical, or business advice and are not a guarantee of reimbursement. The information is also not meant to serve as the definitive or sole authority on billing and coding issues. The applicability of AAO-HNS billing and coding guidance for a particular procedure, must be determined by the responsible physician in light of all the circumstances presented by the individual patient. You should consult with your own advisors as well as Medicare or private carriers in making any decisions about how to bill and code particular services or procedures.
Excision of the middle turbinate without use of endoscopes is reported with 31299. Excision of the middle turbinate without the presence of a concha bullosa and with endoscopic ethmoidectomy is considered integral to the endos copic ethmoidectomy. In this case, do not report it separately.