Irreversible Electroporation

“Spotlight on CPT” is covering irreversible electroporation (IRE) in this article. Irreversible electroporation is a type of ablation performed in a minimally invasive fashion. High-voltage bursts of electrical impulses are used to initiate cell death. This methodology differs from traditional ablation procedures that use thermal energy that carry the potential risk of causing inadvertent heat injury to nearby tissue and vasculature. IRE is performed under general anesthesia and using imaging guidance, the monopolar probes are inserted in the required configuration to achieve the desired outcome. The current is then delivered between the probe pair(s). Immediate complications will be identified by a postprocedure CT scan with the patient usually monitored in the hospital overnight.

Here is an illustration of the body:

 Source: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/25/8/4317

This type of treatment has been found to be effective when treating cancer in specific body areas especially the liver, pancreas and the prostate gland. To that end, CPT has new codes in 2026 that address these procedures:

47384 Ablation, irreversible electroporation, liver, 1 or more tumors, including imaging guidance, percutaneous

55877 Ablation, irreversible electroporation, prostate, 1 or more tumors, including imaging guidance, percutaneous

0600T Ablation, irreversible electroporation; 1 or more tumors per organ, other than liver or prostate, including imaging guidance, when performed, percutaneous

It is important to note that with each of these codes, coding professionals should not assign additional codes for the imaging guidance as it is included in code.

Again, it is important to stress that these procedures do not use thermal heat. There are other codes in the CPT manual that address ablations performed with radiofrequency or cryoablation. It is vital that coding professionals ensure that an irreversible electroporation ablation was actually performed before assigning the appropriate CPT code.

Now, light has been shed on coding irreversible electroporation procedures.

About the Author

Dianna Foley, RHIA, CCS, CDIP, CHPS, has 25 years of HIM experience. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and holds RHIA, CHPS, CDIP, and CCS certifications from AHIMA. Dianna’s an AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer, an AHIMA-published author, a participant in AHIMA credential item writing and exam development, and served on the AHIMA Nominating Committee. Dianna has held various HIM positions and is now an independent coding consultant. She previously served as a program director for Medical Coding and HIT. She presents on coding topics at the national, state, and regional levels and serves as OHIMA’s Education Coordinator.