Question:
How do I code for an MRI of the brain and pituitary performed during the same session?
Answer:
Imaging of the pituitary is considered part of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain—similar to coding for MRI of the brain and the internal auditory canals (IACs), when only a few extra sequences are completed in addition to the brain MRI.
However, when an MRI of the pituitary gland and brain are both ordered, and a full series of specialized pulse sequences of the pituitary gland are taken, a brain MRI should be reported two times with a modifier -59 appended to the second study.