03B94ZZ
Excision Ulnar Artery, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | 3 Upper Arteries |
| Operation | B Excision |
| Body Part | 9 Ulnar Artery, Right |
| Approach | 4 Percutaneous Endoscopic |
| 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 on the upper arteries involve cutting out a portion of an artery in the chest, neck, shoulder, or arm without replacing the tissue removed. Surgeons perform this when a segment of vessel wall has been damaged by trauma, contains a diseased or aneurysmal section, or holds a tumor or growth that needs to be removed for diagnosis or treatment. Common targets include the subclavian, axillary, brachial, and carotid arteries, along with the thoracic aorta and its major branches supplying the upper body.
The removed tissue is often small relative to the vessel and does not always require reconstruction of the artery afterward, distinguishing it from more extensive resections. Patients undergo this procedure to address localized disease, obtain a biopsy sample, or clear away scarred or narrowed sections that are interfering with blood flow to the arms, neck, or brain.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Ulnar Artery, Right
The right ulnar artery is one of the two terminal branches of the brachial artery, running down the medial forearm to join the superficial palmar arch and supply much of the hand, and it is particularly known for hypothenar hammer syndrome, where repetitive blunt trauma to the heel of the hand causes aneurysmal degeneration or thrombosis. Excision of an affected segment addresses this aneurysm, a traumatic injury, or an embolic source, and because the ulnar artery is a major contributor to hand perfusion via the palmar arches, surgeons often assess collateral flow through the radial artery beforehand. Documentation should note the exact forearm level involved, since more distal excisions near the wrist carry different risk to digital perfusion than proximal ones.
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.
Coding & Documentation
Coders assign an Excision code when the operative note documents that only a portion of the artery wall or a discrete lesion was cut out, with no device left behind to replace the excised tissue. Supporting documentation should specify the exact artery involved down to the branch level available in the code tables, since upper artery anatomy is finely subdivided between innominate, subclavian, axillary, brachial, and their many named branches.
The most frequent assignment error is confusing Excision with Resection when an entire arterial segment or branch is removed rather than just a portion, or with Extirpation when the material taken out is a clot, foreign body, or other abnormal solid matter rather than vessel tissue itself. Coders also need to check whether the excision was performed as a biopsy, which changes the qualifier used, and whether an autograft was harvested from the artery for use elsewhere, which is coded separately from a diagnostic or therapeutic excision.