© Copyright 2025 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
Esophageal motility refers to the assessment of the movement and function of the esophagus, which is the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. This evaluation is conducted using a technique known as scintigraphy, which involves the use of a radiolabeled isotope tracer, such as 99mTC-sulfur colloid. The primary purpose of this test is to investigate symptoms that are suspected to originate from the esophagus, helping to diagnose various conditions that may disrupt the normal transit of food from the pharynx to the stomach. Conditions such as scleroderma, esophageal stricture, and achalasia can significantly affect esophageal motility, leading to difficulties in swallowing and other gastrointestinal issues. The procedure is non-invasive and involves the patient ingesting a liquid or semi-solid substance that contains the isotope tracer. During the test, the patient is positioned on an imaging table, and a gamma camera is placed over the anterior neck, chest, and abdomen to capture images. Scanning occurs at predetermined intervals to monitor the movement of the ingested material through the esophagus, and the radioactive energy emitted during this process is transformed into visual images. Following the completion of the study, the physician interprets the results and generates a comprehensive written report detailing the findings of the esophageal motility assessment.
© Copyright 2025 Coding Ahead. All rights reserved.
Esophageal motility studies are indicated for the evaluation of various symptoms and conditions that may affect the esophagus. The following are the explicitly provided indications for performing this procedure:
The esophageal motility study involves several key procedural steps that ensure accurate assessment of esophageal function. The following outlines the detailed steps of the procedure:
After the completion of the esophageal motility study, there are typically no specific post-procedure care requirements due to the non-invasive nature of the test. Patients may resume their normal activities immediately following the procedure. However, it is essential for the physician to provide the patient with information regarding the timing of when they can expect to receive the results of the study. The physician will review the findings in the written report and discuss any necessary follow-up actions or additional evaluations based on the results.
| Short Descr | ESOPHAGEAL MOTILITY | Medium Descr | ESOPHAGEAL MOTILITY | Long Descr | Esophageal motility | Status Code | Active Code | Global Days | XXX - Global Concept Does Not Apply | PC/TC Indicator (26, TC) | 1 - Diagnostic Tests for Radiology Services | Multiple Procedures (51) | 0 - No payment adjustment rules for multiple procedures apply. | Bilateral Surgery (50) | 0 - 150% payment adjustment for bilateral procedures does NOT apply. | Physician Supervisions | 09 - Concept does not apply. | Assistant Surgeon (80, 82) | 0 - Payment restriction for assistants at surgery applies to this procedure... | Co-Surgeons (62) | 0 - Co-surgeons not permitted for this procedure. | Team Surgery (66) | 0 - Team surgeons not permitted for this procedure. | Diagnostic Imaging Family | 99 - Concept Does Not Apply | APC Status Indicator | Procedure or Service, Not Discounted when Multiple | ASC Payment Indicator | Radiology service paid separately when provided integral to a surgical procedure on ASC list; payment based on OPPS relative payment weight. | Type of Service (TOS) | 4 - Diagnostic Radiology | Berenson-Eggers TOS (BETOS) | I1E - Standard imaging - nuclear medicine | MUE | 1 | CCS Clinical Classification | 209 - Radioisotope scan and function studies |
| 26 | Professional component: certain procedures are a combination of a physician or other qualified health care professional component and a technical component. when the physician or other qualified health care professional component is reported separately, the service may be identified by adding modifier 26 to the usual procedure number. | CC | Procedure code change (use 'cc' when the procedure code submitted was changed either for administrative reasons or because an incorrect code was filed) | GC | This service has been performed in part by a resident under the direction of a teaching physician | ME | The order for this service adheres to appropriate use criteria in the clinical decision support mechanism consulted by the ordering professional | MF | The order for this service does not adhere to the appropriate use criteria in the clinical decision support mechanism consulted by the ordering professional | MH | Unknown if ordering professional consulted a clinical decision support mechanism for this service, related information was not provided to the furnishing professional or provider | X5 | Diagnostic services requested by another clinician: for reporting services by a clinician who furnishes care to the patient only as requested by another clinician or subsequent and related services requested by another clinician; this modifier is reported for patient relationships that may not be adequately captured by the above alternative categories; reporting clinician service examples include but are not limited to, the radiologist's interpretation of an imaging study requested by another clinician |
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| 2025-01-01 | Changed | Short Description changed. |
| Pre-1990 | Added | Code added. |