Impacted cerumen removal is the extraction of hardened or accumulated cerumen (ear wax) from the external auditory canal by mechanical means, such as irrigation or debridement.Generally, the simple/routine removal of cerumen is considered a part of the office visit and therefore cannot be separately reimbursed on the same day as an Evaluation and Management (E&M) service Treatment. Cerumen removal may be attempted by irrigation of the external auditory canal, with or without the use of cerumenolytics; by cerumenolytics alone; or by manual removal using a curette, forceps, or suction. Systematic reviews and one meta-analysis have evaluated these treatment options.
