ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0PBH4ZX

Excision Radius, Right to Diagnostic with No Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemP Upper Bones
OperationB Excision
Body PartH Radius, Right
Approach4 Percutaneous Endoscopic
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierX Diagnostic

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

Radius, Right

Excision of the right radius removes a portion of the forearm bone that runs along the thumb side from the elbow to the wrist and plays a central role in forearm rotation through its articulation with the ulna at both the proximal and distal radioulnar joints. Surgeons excise radial bone to remove a tumor, cyst, or exostosis, to biopsy suspicious tissue, or to debride bone compromised by chronic infection, with the approach and precise location, head, neck, shaft, or distal radius, influencing technique and nearby structures at risk such as the radial nerve proximally or tendons distally. Given the radius's role in pronation and supination, the extent of bone removed can have functional implications that should be reflected in the operative documentation.

Approach: Percutaneous Endoscopic

Percutaneous Endoscopic combines a puncture through skin or mucous membrane with insertion of an endoscope to visualize the procedure internally, as in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. It is distinguished from plain Percutaneous by the presence of scope-guided visualization, and from Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic by its route being a new puncture rather than an existing orifice or stoma.

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

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.