Author: Manuel M. Arreola, Hugh Davis, Daniella Fabri, Emily L. Marshall, BC Schwarz 👨🔬
Affiliation: University of Florida 🌍
Purpose:
This study aims to map procedure names, descriptions, and CPT codes from a Hybrid Angio-CT room to the American College of Radiology (ACR) Common Lexicon. This mapping will support expedited review of procedure specific information on the basis of commonly available CPT coding. The ultimate goal is to establish Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) in the future.
Methods:
All procedures performed in a hybrid angio-CT room across 2023 were collected, including key data such as CTDIvol (mGy), DLP (mGy·cm), DAP (dGy·cm²), and dose to the reference point (mGy). Additionally, procedural data such as report descriptions, visit types, new procedure names, inpatient/outpatient CPT codes, CPT code meanings, and procedure codes were gathered. The first stage focused on mapping fluoroscopy-only cases, which was done by an interventional radiologist. The ten most commonly mapped cases were analyzed, and the ACR common names were compared to their corresponding CPT codes to evaluate whether the CPT code may serve as a reliable benchmark for mapping.
Results:
The ten most frequent ACR common codes used for mapping accounted for 233 of the 454 mapped cases (51%). The study found that in 87% of instances, a single CPT code correlated directly with an ACR common name, indicating a strong association between the two classification systems.
Conclusion:
The findings suggest that CPT codes provide a reliable foundation for mapping procedure descriptions to the ACR Common Lexicon, with a high correlation rate. This mapping process is a crucial step toward standardizing procedure terminology, facilitating dose optimization, and ultimately establishing DRLs for procedures performed in Hybrid Angio-CT environments. Future work will expand the analysis to additional procedure categories and refine the mapping framework to ensure comprehensive standardization.