CPT 38745 Axillary lymphadenectomy; complete
Last reviewed: May 17, 2026
RVU Values (CMS PFS RVU26C July 2026)
Common Modifiers
-LT, -RT
Related ICD-10 Codes
C50.911, C43.59
Billing Tips
When billing CPT 38745, ensure your operative note clearly documents the procedure performed, clinical indication, and any complications or additional work that would support modifier usage. Always verify the code against the current AMA CPT Professional Edition before claim submission.
For multi-procedure cases, use our Case Builder to automatically calculate adjusted wRVUs with proper MPPR ranking.
Documentation and Coding Notes
AdSense readiness coding note: CPT 38745 should be treated as an educational starting point, not a final billing instruction. For axillary lymphadenectomy; complete, the operative note or procedure note should clearly support the approach, anatomic site, laterality when relevant, clinical indication, and any separately reportable services.
Before submitting a claim or logging the case, compare CPT 38745 with adjacent codes in the same family, confirm current AMA CPT language, check CMS/NCCI edits, and verify payer-specific bundling rules. Modifier use should be tied to documentation rather than added only to bypass an edit.
Common audit checks for surgical oncology cases include whether the documented work matches the code descriptor, whether add-on services are separately supported, whether a global period applies, and whether ICD-10 diagnosis pairing supports medical necessity.
Related CPT Codes in Surgical Oncology
CPT 38740 — Axillary lymphadenectomy; superficial CPT 38760 — Inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy, superficial, including Cloqu CPT 38720 — Cervical lymphadenectomy (complete) CPT 38724 — Cervical lymphadenectomy (modified radical neck dissection) CPT 38700 — Suprahyoid lymphadenectomy CPT 21930 — Excision, tumor, soft tissue of back or flank, subfascial (eUse our free interactive decision tree with 500+ codes across 30 specialties
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