While esophagoscopy was being performed with a #9 Jesberg esophagoscope, the physician noted scarring and

While esophagoscopy was being performed with a #9 Jesberg esophagoscope, the physician noted scarring and tightness in the area of the cricopharynx. He then decided to perform dilation with the #9 Jesberg esophagoscope. In the CPT manual, no specific codes address dilation via esophagoscope, only balloon, guide wire, sound, or bougie dilation. In the Manipulation subsection of the Digestive System (in CPT), there is a parenthetical statement that states, "for dilation with direct visualization, see 43220." This code does not seem appropriate because it refers to balloon dilation, which was not used. Should I use an unlisted code?

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CPT Knowledgebase - Jun 15, 2015