047N0D1
Dilation Popliteal Artery, Left to Drug-Coated Balloon with Intraluminal Device, Open Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | 4 Lower Arteries |
| Operation | 7 Dilation |
| Body Part | N Popliteal Artery, Left |
| Approach | 0 Open |
| Device | D Intraluminal Device |
| Qualifier | 1 Drug-Coated Balloon |
Operation Definition
Expanding an orifice or the lumen of a tubular body part
Procedure Overview
This family describes procedures that widen a narrowed or blocked segment of an artery in the leg, pelvis, or abdomen so blood can flow more freely to the tissues those vessels supply. Narrowing in these arteries is commonly caused by atherosclerotic plaque buildup, and when it becomes severe enough, patients may experience leg pain with walking, poor wound healing, or in serious cases, tissue at risk of loss.
The procedure is typically performed using a catheter threaded through the vascular system to the narrowed spot, where a balloon is inflated to press the plaque outward and reopen the lumen. A stent is often left behind to help hold the artery open, though the dilation itself refers to the widening action rather than the device placement. Open surgical techniques that stretch a vessel are also included in this family.
These procedures are generally performed to relieve symptoms of peripheral artery disease, restore circulation to a limb, or address a stenosis found on vascular imaging, and are chosen based on how severe the narrowing is and how much of the artery is affected.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Popliteal Artery, Left
The popliteal artery continues the femoral artery behind the knee before splitting into the tibial vessels, and its course through the popliteal fossa makes it prone to compression from surrounding musculature, adventitial cystic disease, and atherosclerotic narrowing that produces calf claudication or rest pain. Because the artery flexes with knee motion, lesions here are mechanically stressed in ways that femoral disease is not, and dilation must account for that repetitive bending when a balloon or stent is deployed. Popliteal angioplasty is commonly performed to restore flow to the lower leg in peripheral arterial disease, often paired with treatment of adjacent tibial vessels. Documentation should specify laterality and whether the approach was antegrade from the femoral or retrograde from a tibial access point, since either affects catheter routing.
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: Intraluminal Device
Intraluminal Device denotes a single device, such as a stent or occlusion device, positioned within the lumen of a tubular body part like a vessel, duct, or airway to maintain patency or occlude flow. It carries no drug coating or radioactivity, distinguishing it from the drug-eluting, radioactive, and bioactive intraluminal device values, and from Extraluminal Device, which sits outside rather than inside the lumen.
Qualifier: Drug-Coated Balloon
A device qualifier indicating that the angioplasty balloon used to dilate a vessel is coated with an antiproliferative drug intended to reduce restenosis, as opposed to a plain balloon. It is distinguished from Sustained Release, which describes a different drug-delivery mechanism, and from drug-eluting stents, which are a separate device category entirely. Its use should match documentation specifically describing a drug-coated or drug-eluting balloon.
Coding & Documentation
Coders need documentation identifying the specific lower artery segment dilated, the approach used (open, percutaneous, or percutaneous endoscopic), and whether a device such as a stent or an intraluminal device was left in place, since that determines the device value appended to the code. The number of separate lesions treated in different named vessels can also affect how many codes are reported.
A common error is failing to code a separate Dilation for each distinct body part when multiple sites along the same limb are treated, since ICD-10-PCS defines body part values by specific artery segment. Another frequent mistake is omitting or misselecting the device value when a drug-eluting stent, a bare stent, or no device at all was used, since the operative note's wording on device type must be matched precisely to the code table options.