A patient with multiple atypical lesions on the face and trunk is in the office to perform a biopsy. A punch tool was used to obtain a full-thickness tissue sample for two lesions on the trunk.
Partial-thickness tissue sample was taken from one lesion on the forehead using a curette.
What CPTcoding is reported?
Correct Answer: A
The CPTcodes for skin biopsies depend on the method used and the location of each lesion. Here, the scenario includes:
1. Two punch biopsies on the trunk: CPTcode 11104 is used for a full-thickness punch biopsy of the skin, and 11104 x 2 is appropriate since two lesions on the trunk were sampled.
2. One partial-thickness shave biopsy on the forehead: CPTcode 11102 is used for a tangential (shave) biopsy, which captures a partial-thickness sample, appropriate for the forehead lesion.
Explanation of other options:
B: 11104, 11105, 11103: Incorrect, as 11105 is an add-on for additional punch biopsies at separate sites but not used here.
C: 11104, 11103 x 2: 11103 is an add-on code for additional shave biopsies, which does not apply to the punch biopsies on the trunk.
D: 11104, 11102 x 2: Incorrect, as 11102 is only used for the shave biopsy, not for the punch biopsies.