ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0MB14ZX

Excision Shoulder Bursa and Ligament, Right to Diagnostic with No Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemM Bursae and Ligaments
OperationB Excision
Body Part1 Shoulder Bursa and Ligament, 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 procedures cut out a portion of a bursa or ligament without replacing it, leaving the remainder of the structure in place. This is done to remove diseased, damaged, or chronically inflamed tissue, such as a thickened bursa that has not responded to drainage or rest, or a partially torn ligament that needs debridement of frayed edges before repair.

A bursectomy, in which part of an inflamed bursa is removed, is a typical example, as is trimming away degenerated portions of a ligament during reconstructive surgery. Because only a portion of the structure is taken, the ligament or bursa continues to exist and function afterward, distinguishing this from a resection that removes the entire body part.

Excision is often performed as a standalone treatment for chronic bursitis or degenerative ligament disease, or as a preparatory step before repair or reconstruction.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Shoulder Bursa and Ligament, Right

On the right shoulder, the subacromial and subdeltoid bursae along with the glenohumeral and coracoacromial ligaments are frequently involved in chronic impingement, rotator cuff pathology, or persistent inflammatory bursitis that has not responded to conservative treatment. Excision, most often of a thickened or fibrotic subacromial bursa, is commonly performed arthroscopically alongside procedures such as acromioplasty or rotator cuff repair to relieve mechanical impingement and improve subacromial space. Because the shoulder's bursal and ligamentous anatomy is closely tied to the joint's stability and range of motion, complete versus partial removal of a bursa should be clearly distinguished from any concurrent tendon or capsular work performed during the same operative episode.

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 should confirm the note describes cutting out and removing a specific portion of tissue that is sent to pathology or discarded, as opposed to simply releasing or draining the structure. If the entire bursa or ligament is removed, the correct root operation is Resection rather than Excision, so the extent of removal documented by the surgeon is critical.

A frequent error is coding debridement performed as part of a repair as a separate Excision when it was an integral, inherent part of the definitive procedure and should not be coded separately. Biopsies of ligament or bursa tissue also fall under Excision and require attention to the diagnostic qualifier.

Commonly Confused With

ResectionExcision is most often confused with Resection, distinguished purely by whether all or only part of the ligament or bursa was removed.
ExtirpationIt is also distinguished from Extirpation, which removes abnormal solid material such as a calcified nodule or foreign body rather than a portion of the native structure itself.