Ask Dr. Z

My doctor reported thrombectomy from beginning and throughout the report, but I think a couple of words at the very end of the report may have changed the coding from a thrombectomy to an endarterectomy. Does this limited documentation support reporting code 35371? "Incision overlying the femoral vessels... dissected out the common, superficial, and profunda vessels. Controlled vessels... arteriotomy extensively on the CFA and extended to the SFA. Fogarty catheter was placed, retrieving thrombus from the distal SFA out of the arteriotomy… thrombectomized the profunda vessel - flushed all the thrombus and clot out of the proximal CFA and actually endarterectomy of the CFA was also done with some degree of endovascular plaque disease, typical of atherosclerosis as well."