ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0PB73ZZ

Excision Glenoid Cavity, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemP Upper Bones
OperationB Excision
Body Part7 Glenoid Cavity, Right
Approach3 Percutaneous
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Cutting out or off, without replacement, a portion of a body part

Procedure Overview

Excision covers cutting out a portion of an upper bone without replacing it, most often to obtain a tissue sample for diagnosis or to remove a tumor, cyst, or damaged segment while leaving the surrounding bone intact. Rib excisions are performed for suspected malignancy or to gain surgical access to the chest, clavicle and scapula excisions address tumors or nonunion fragments, and small excisional biopsies are done on the humerus, forearm bones, or hand bones when imaging shows an indeterminate lesion.

Because only a portion of the bone is taken and the rest of the structure remains, this differs from removing an entire bone or joint segment. The excised tissue is typically sent to pathology, and the remaining bone may need grafting or fixation depending on how much structural support was lost.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Glenoid Cavity, Right

Excision of the right glenoid cavity removes a portion of the shallow, pear-shaped socket on the lateral scapula that articulates with the humeral head to form the shoulder joint. This procedure is performed less often than labral or capsular work and is typically reserved for removing a bone lesion, cyst, or portion of glenoid rim affected by degenerative or traumatic pathology, sometimes in conjunction with shoulder arthroscopy or open exploration. Because the glenoid is a small, curved articular surface critical to joint stability, even a partial excision can affect the mechanics of shoulder motion, so the operative note should clarify that bone rather than adjacent labral cartilage was excised, since cartilage procedures on the joint are coded under a different body part.

Approach: Percutaneous

Percutaneous describes entry by needle or instrument puncture through the skin or mucous membrane to reach the site of the procedure, without cutting the tissue open or using a visualizing scope. It differs from Open in that the site itself is never exposed, and from Percutaneous Endoscopic in that no endoscope is used to see internal structures. Common examples include needle biopsies and injections.

Coding & Documentation

Coders need documentation confirming that a portion, not the entirety, of the named bone was cut out, along with the specific bone and, where relevant, whether the procedure was diagnostic. A biopsy that removes only a small sample for pathology still falls under Excision, with a qualifier indicating diagnostic intent.

The most frequent error is selecting Excision when an entire bone or a whole anatomical segment such as the whole clavicle was removed, which instead falls under Resection. Another common issue is failing to code bone grafting or fixation performed immediately afterward as separate procedures when the operative note describes them as distinct steps.

Commonly Confused With

ResectionResection is the key distinction to make, since it applies when an entire bone or a defined anatomical unit, rather than a portion, is removed; a partial clavicle excision is coded differently from removal of the whole clavicle.
ExtirpationExtirpation differs because it removes abnormal solid matter, such as a sequestrum or embedded object, rather than cutting out a piece of the bone itself.
DestructionDestruction can look similar in intent but does not involve physically removing tissue.