ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0T140J6

Bypass Kidney Pelvis, Left to Ureter, Right with Synthetic Substitute, Open Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemT Urinary System
Operation1 Bypass
Body Part4 Kidney Pelvis, Left
Approach0 Open
DeviceJ Synthetic Substitute
Qualifier6 Ureter, Right

Operation Definition

Altering the route of passage of the contents of a tubular body part

Procedure Overview

Bypass procedures in the urinary system reroute the flow of urine around a damaged, obstructed, or diseased segment so it can drain through a new path instead. Common examples include an ileal conduit or continent urinary diversion after bladder removal, a ureteroneocystostomy that reconnects a ureter to the bladder at a new site, or a yeloureteral bypass for a blocked ureteropelvic junction. These operations are performed when a tumor, stricture, chronic obstruction, or a failed bladder makes normal drainage unsafe, since backed-up urine can damage the kidneys or cause repeated infections.

Patients typically encounter these procedures alongside cancer treatment, after trauma, or when a congenital narrowing has caused progressive kidney damage. The new pathway may be temporary, to protect a healing repair, or permanent, when the original structure cannot be salvaged.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Kidney Pelvis, Left

The left kidney pelvis collects urine from the major calyces before it drains into the ureter, and bypass is performed when a fixed obstruction at or near the ureteropelvic junction cannot be relieved by simpler means, threatening progressive hydronephrosis and loss of renal function. Rerouting urine flow around the blocked segment protects the kidney while avoiding removal of functioning parenchyma. On the left side, the procedure occurs near the spleen, splenic flexure of the colon, and left renal vessels, which shapes the operative approach relative to the right. The new conduit created during bypass, whether to the ureter, another segment of urinary tract, or an external stoma, becomes the qualifier that defines the procedure, and accurate identification of that route is essential for correct code assignment.

Approach: Open

Open approach means the surgeon cuts through skin, mucous membrane, or other tissue layers to physically expose the target site to view before performing the procedure. It gives direct visualization and hands-on access, distinguishing it from Percutaneous approaches where instruments pass through a small puncture without exposing the site. Open is typical for procedures needing wide access, such as most laparotomies.

Device: Synthetic Substitute

Synthetic Substitute designates a device made from manufactured, non-biologic material, such as mesh or prosthetic components, used to replace or augment a body part. It is distinguished from the two tissue substitute categories by its artificial composition, which carries different considerations for integration and long-term durability than biologic grafts.

Qualifier: Ureter, Right

Ureter, Right specifies that the right-sided ureter is the secondary structure involved in a procedure, commonly seen in bypass or transplantation tables where laterality must be recorded precisely. It differs from Ureter, Left by side and from Ureters, Bilateral by indicating only one ureter is affected.

Coding & Documentation

Coders assign Bypass when documentation confirms a new route was created "from" one urinary structure "to" another (or to the skin, as in a conduit), rather than a repair of the existing channel. The operative note must name both the bypass origin and the qualifier destination, since the seventh-character qualifier changes with the target (bladder, ileum, cutaneous, etc.). A frequent error is coding Bypass when the surgeon actually performed Repair or Dilation of an existing passage rather than constructing an alternate route; another is missing the correct device value when a stent or conduit segment is left in place.

Commonly Confused With

DilationBypass is easily confused with Dilation, which merely widens an existing narrowed segment rather than creating a new route, and with Drainage, which removes fluid without altering the pathway.
TransferIt is also distinct from Transfer/Replacement procedures using bowel segments for reconstruction rather than diversion; the distinguishing question is always whether contents now travel through a route that did not exist before.