12/03/15

Question:

Is an angioplasty of an AV shunt for stenosis always coded as venous?

Answer:

The AV shunt is considered to be venous and most interventions are coded as venous. So an angioplasty would be coded as 35476 and 75978 for radiological supervision and interpretation. The exception to this is if the stenosis is at the arterial anastomosis (where the vein meets the artery) and the stenosis extends across the anastomosis and into the artery. In this case, it would be appropriate to code an arterial intervention, 35475 and 75962, but only one intervention may be reported in this segment of the shunt. Even if both a venous and arterial angioplasty were performed in this segment (the anastomosis through the axillary vein) only a single intervention may be reported.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 12/03/15.