ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0TB38ZZ

Excision Kidney Pelvis, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemT Urinary System
OperationB Excision
Body Part3 Kidney Pelvis, Right
Approach8 Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

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: Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic

Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic describes instrumentation introduced through a natural orifice or a surgically created opening while using an endoscope for visualization, as in a routine colonoscopy performed through the anus. It differs from the plain Via Natural or Artificial Opening value by the added scope, and from Percutaneous Endoscopic by using an existing passage rather than a new skin puncture.

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.