0HBW7ZZ
Excision Nipple, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Via Natural or Artificial Opening Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | H Skin and Breast |
| Operation | B Excision |
| Body Part | W Nipple, Right |
| Approach | 7 Via Natural or Artificial Opening |
| Device | Z No Device |
| Qualifier | Z No Qualifier |
Operation Definition
Cutting out or off, without replacement, a portion of a body part
Procedure Overview
Excision procedures remove a portion of skin or breast tissue without replacing it, and this family spans everything from a shave biopsy of a suspicious mole to a lumpectomy removing a breast tumor with a margin of surrounding tissue. The common thread is that a defined piece of tissue, not the entire organ or structure, is cut away and typically sent to a pathology lab for examination.
Patients most often encounter this family when a mole, cyst, or lump needs to be evaluated or treated, or when a breast biopsy is needed to characterize a finding seen on imaging. Because only part of the body part is taken, the surrounding skin or breast tissue remains intact, which distinguishes these procedures from more extensive surgery that removes an entire structure.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Nipple, Right
The right nipple, including the nipple papilla and immediately adjacent areolar tissue, is excised for conditions such as Paget disease of the breast, chronic non-healing nipple lesions, symptomatic accessory tissue, or as part of gender-affirming or reconstructive procedures rather than for typical fibroadenoma or cyst removal, which involve deeper breast parenchyma instead. Because the nipple contains the terminal openings of the lactiferous ducts, excision here can affect future lactation and sensation, considerations that are usually discussed with the patient beforehand. The nipple-areolar complex has a rich sensory nerve supply, so even a limited excision can result in altered sensitivity. This body part is coded separately from breast tissue excision, so operative notes must be reviewed carefully to determine whether the nipple itself, rather than underlying glandular tissue, was the structure removed.
Approach: Via Natural or Artificial Opening
Via Natural or Artificial Opening means the instrument reaches the target site by passing through an existing body orifice, such as the mouth or urethra, or a surgically created opening like a stoma, without additional incision or scope guidance. It is distinguished from the Endoscopic variant by the absence of a visualizing scope, and from External by actually traversing into the body through that opening.
Coding & Documentation
Documentation should describe the amount of tissue removed, any margins taken, and whether the intent was diagnostic (an excisional biopsy) or therapeutic. Coders must pay close attention to whether the note describes removal of only part of the breast or skin versus the entire body part, since removing an entire breast is coded to Resection rather than Excision even though both involve cutting tissue away. A common mistake is coding a partial mastectomy or wide local excision as Resection out of habit, or conversely under-coding a case that actually removed the whole breast as Excision.