ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0PCB4ZZ

Extirpation Clavicle, Left to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemP Upper Bones
OperationC Extirpation
Body PartB Clavicle, Left
Approach4 Percutaneous Endoscopic
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Taking or cutting out solid matter from a body part

Procedure Overview

Extirpation is the removal of solid matter that does not belong in an upper bone, such as a fragment of dead bone left over from infection, a blood clot, cement, or a foreign object like a bullet or broken piece of surgical hardware. Unlike cutting out living bone tissue, this procedure focuses on taking out material that has formed or lodged within the bone, often through the same access point used for drainage or debridement.

This is frequently seen in the management of chronic osteomyelitis, where a sequestrum of dead bone must be physically removed for the infection to resolve, or in trauma cases where retained metal or debris needs to be taken out of the sternum, ribs, clavicle, or a limb bone. The surrounding healthy bone is left in place.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Clavicle, Left

The left clavicle performs the same strut-like function as the right, connecting the sternum to the scapula while shielding the subclavian vessels and brachial plexus that pass just beneath its medial segment. Extirpation is indicated when solid material, such as a bony sequestrum, infected debris, or a retained fragment from prior trauma, sits within the bone and requires targeted removal rather than resection of a defined segment. Its subcutaneous location generally allows straightforward surgical exposure, though the medial end demands particular care given its proximity to major vessels and the apex of the lung. Documentation should record the location along the shaft, whether medial, midshaft, or lateral, and the nature of the extirpated material, distinguishing this cleanup procedure from a fracture repair or partial bone excision performed at the same site.

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

The operative note should identify what solid material was removed and confirm it was abnormal matter rather than a planned portion of the bone itself, since that distinction separates Extirpation from Excision. The specific bone involved and the nature of the material, whether necrotic bone, cement, or a foreign body, should be documented.

A recurring coding mistake is applying Excision when a sequestrectomy is actually described, since removing dead or infected bone debris is Extirpation even though a cutting instrument may be used to free the fragment. Coders should also verify that a device removal, such as taking out failed hardware, is not more accurately captured under the Removal root operation instead.

Commonly Confused With

ExcisionExcision is the closest neighbor and the one most often mistaken for Extirpation; the deciding factor is whether the material removed was a designed portion of the bone itself, which is Excision, versus abnormal or foreign solid matter that had accumulated within it, which is Extirpation.
RemovalRemoval applies specifically to taking out a previously placed device, not native or pathologic material.
DrainageDrainage is distinguished by removing liquid or gas rather than solid matter.