CPT code for MEG (2021)

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) provides functional mapping information about how the brain processes sensory stimulation by measuring the associated magnetic fields emanating from the outer surface of the brain. MEG can be used both as a tool for fundamental study of the brain and for assessing patients with specific neurological disorders. The biomagnetometer is commonly housed in a shielded room; the recording device contains magnetic detection coils continuously bathed in liquid helium to superconducting temperatures of -269 degrees Celsius.

The spontaneous (95965) or evoked (95966-95967) magnetic fields emanating from the brain induce a current in these coils, which in turn produce a magnetic field in a device called a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), which makes images every 1/1000 of a second. MEG identifies where in the brain the electrical current is flowing in response to the stimulus. For example, MEG can be used to determine the millimeters of the brain responsible for fingertip sensation and movement, which can be crucial in surgeries involving neuroresection.

CPT 95965 Magnetoencephalography (MEG), recording and analysis; for spontaneous brain magnetic activity (eg, epileptic cerebral cortex localization)

CPT 95966 Magnetoencephalography (MEG), recording and analysis; for evoked magnetic fields, single modality (eg, sensory, motor, language, or visual cortex localization)

CPT 95967 Magnetoencephalography (MEG), recording and analysis; for evoked magnetic fields, each additional modality (eg, sensory, motor, language, or visual cortex localization) (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

HCPCS S8035 Magnetic source imaging