CPT® Code 15151

Add-On Code

Tissue cultured skin autograft, trunk, arms, legs; additional 1 sq cm to 75 sq cm (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

A tissue cultured skin autograft is a specialized surgical procedure utilized to cover skin defects located on the trunk, arms, or legs. This technique involves the harvesting of epidermal tissue from the patient, which is then processed in a laboratory setting. The harvested tissue undergoes a meticulous procedure where it is separated from dermal cells and cultured in an incubator. The primary cells involved in this process are keratinocytes, which are the predominant cell type in the epidermis. These cells are provided with essential nutrients to promote their growth into sheets of skin suitable for grafting. Once the cultured epidermal cells have developed into a viable graft, they are placed in a transport medium and returned to the healthcare facility where the grafting procedure will take place. During the grafting procedure, the physician carefully removes the graft from the transport medium and positions it over the prepared wound bed at the recipient site. To ensure proper adherence and stability of the graft, it is secured using interrupted sutures placed around the edges. Alternatively, other fixation methods such as staples or fibrin sealant may be employed. This procedure is categorized under specific CPT® codes based on the size of the graft, with 15150 applicable for grafts measuring 25 square centimeters or less, 15151 for an additional 1 square centimeter to 75 square centimeters, and 15152 for each additional 100 square centimeters in adults or 1% of total body surface area (TBSA) in infants and children, or part thereof.