0L810ZZ
Division Shoulder Tendon, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Open Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | L Tendons |
| Operation | 8 Division |
| Body Part | 1 Shoulder Tendon, Right |
| Approach | 0 Open |
| Device | Z No Device |
| Qualifier | Z No Qualifier |
Operation Definition
Cutting into a body part, without draining fluids and/or gases from the body part, in order to separate or transect a body part
Procedure Overview
Tendon division procedures cut through a tendon to separate it, without draining any fluid or removing tissue. The classic example is a tenotomy performed to release excessive tension, most often in children or adults with contractures from conditions like clubfoot, cerebral palsy, or spasticity, where lengthening a tight tendon improves joint mobility and gait. The tendon is deliberately transected, sometimes at multiple levels, and allowed to heal in a lengthened position, or it may be left divided to eliminate an abnormal pulling force altogether.
Because the intent is purely to cut and separate rather than to remove tissue or drain fluid, this is a comparatively contained procedure that can often be done percutaneously with a small blade, avoiding an open incision. Patients typically need bracing or casting afterward to hold the limb in the corrected position while the tendon reattaches or scars into its new length.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Shoulder Tendon, Right
The right shoulder's tendinous structures, including portions of the rotator cuff and the tendons anchoring the deltoid and pectoral musculature, transmit force across the glenohumeral joint and control arm elevation and rotation. Division is used to release a tendon that has become abnormally shortened or is generating a fixed contracture, such as in adhesive capsulitis or a spastic pattern following neurologic injury, by cutting the fibers without excising them. Because the subacromial space is narrow and the axillary nerve and vessels course nearby, the cut is typically made under direct or arthroscopic visualization. Unlike repair or reattachment procedures on the same tendons, division deliberately interrupts continuity to relieve tension, and the documentation should distinguish this from tenotomy performed incidentally during a repair.
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.
Coding & Documentation
A Division code applies when the documentation describes cutting or transecting the tendon to separate it, with no fluid or gas drainage and no tissue taken out of the body. Percutaneous tenotomy notes should state the tendon involved, the technique (open versus percutaneous), and confirm that the procedure's purpose was releasing tension or separating the structure rather than excising a lesion.
A common coding pitfall is confusing tenotomy performed for lengthening with tenotomy performed as an approach step to reach a deeper structure, which would not be separately coded. Coders also sometimes miss that if the surgeon removes a piece of the tendon rather than simply cutting through it, the case belongs under Excision instead, so precise reading of whether tissue was taken out is essential.