ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0TB30ZX

Excision Kidney Pelvis, Right to Diagnostic with No Device, Open Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemT Urinary System
OperationB Excision
Body Part3 Kidney Pelvis, Right
Approach0 Open
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierX Diagnostic

Operation Definition

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

Procedure Overview

Excision in the urinary system involves cutting out a piece of an organ, such as a wedge of kidney tissue for biopsy, a section of bladder wall containing a suspicious lesion, or part of a ureter, while leaving the rest of the structure intact. It is performed to diagnose disease by examining tissue under a microscope, or to remove a localized abnormal area without sacrificing the whole organ.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Kidney Pelvis, Right

Excision within the right renal pelvis involves removing a discrete lesion, most often a urothelial tumor arising from the lining of this collecting structure, while leaving the surrounding kidney tissue in place. Because upper tract urothelial carcinoma can be multifocal and behaves differently from bladder cancer, localized excision is sometimes chosen for select low-grade lesions, particularly when preserving renal function is a priority, though many cases still proceed to more extensive resection. The operative note should specify that the procedure was confined to pelvis tissue rather than the ureter or renal parenchyma broadly, since accurate body part selection depends on the lesion's precise anatomic origin.

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.

Qualifier: Diagnostic

Applied chiefly to Excision, this qualifier marks that tissue was removed specifically for diagnostic purposes, i.e., a biopsy intended for pathologic evaluation rather than to treat disease. It distinguishes biopsy-type excisions from therapeutic excisions of the same body part, which are coded without this qualifier even though the physical technique may be identical.

Coding & Documentation

Assignment depends on identifying the exact body part biopsied or partially removed and the surgical approach (open, percutaneous, or via endoscope). Operative and pathology notes together confirm that only a portion of the structure was taken, since removal of an entire organ is coded as Resection instead. A frequent mistake is defaulting to Excision for any biopsy language without checking whether the documentation actually describes complete organ removal, or failing to code a closed (percutaneous needle) biopsy separately from an open surgical biopsy performed during the same encounter.

Commonly Confused With

ResectionExcision is most often confused with Resection - the dividing line is whether any of the organ remains after the procedure.
ExtirpationIt also differs from Extirpation, which removes abnormal solid matter like a stone or necrotic debris rather than a piece of the organ itself, and from Destruction, which eliminates tissue in place without removing a specimen.