ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0TB63ZX

Excision Ureter, Right to Diagnostic with No Device, Percutaneous Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemT Urinary System
OperationB Excision
Body Part6 Ureter, Right
Approach3 Percutaneous
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierX Diagnostic

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

Ureter, Right

Excision of a portion of the right ureter removes a segment containing a stricture, a urothelial tumor, or scarred tissue from prior injury, without removing the ureter's entire length. Because the ureter is a narrow, thin-walled tube, even a limited excision typically requires reconstruction, such as ureteroureterostomy or reimplantation into the bladder, to restore urinary continuity, and that reconstructive step is documented separately from the excision itself. The right ureter's course near the appendix and cecum makes prior abdominal or pelvic surgery in that region a relevant consideration when a stricture or fibrotic segment is being excised, and operative notes should specify the segment's location and extent removed.

Approach: Percutaneous

Percutaneous describes entry by needle or instrument puncture through the skin or mucous membrane to reach the site of the procedure, without cutting the tissue open or using a visualizing scope. It differs from Open in that the site itself is never exposed, and from Percutaneous Endoscopic in that no endoscope is used to see internal structures. Common examples include needle biopsies and injections.

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

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.