Differentiation of ileostomy from colostomy procedures: assessing the accuracy of current procedural terminology codes and the utility of natural language processing.

Background: Large databases provide a wealth of information for researchers, but identifying patient cohorts often relies on the use of current procedural terminology (CPT) codes. In particular, studies of stoma surgery have been limited by the accuracy of CPT codes in identifying and differentiating ileostomy procedures from colostomy procedures. It is important to make this distinction because the prevalence of complications associated with stoma formation and reversal differ dramatically between types of stoma.