ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0LCJ3ZZ

Extirpation Hip Tendon, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemL Tendons
OperationC Extirpation
Body PartJ Hip Tendon, Right
Approach3 Percutaneous
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Taking or cutting out solid matter from a body part

Procedure Overview

Tendon extirpation procedures take or cut out solid matter that has formed within or around a tendon but is not itself normal tendon tissue, such as a foreign body, a blood clot, or a calcified deposit that has hardened within the tendon. This differs from removing part of the tendon structure itself, since the target here is abnormal material lodged in or against the tendon rather than the tendon's own tissue.

Common scenarios include removing a splinter or suture fragment that migrated into a tendon sheath, evacuating an organized hematoma that has not resolved on its own, or extracting calcific deposits associated with calcific tendinitis that have become symptomatic. The surgeon may need to make an incision to access and extract the material, and the procedure is considered complete once the solid matter is out, without any tendon tissue itself being excised.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Hip Tendon, Right

The hip tendon group includes tendons such as the iliopsoas and gluteal tendons that cross the hip joint to enable flexion, extension, and rotation, and extirpation on the right side is commonly performed to remove calcific deposits associated with calcific tendinitis, a bursal-adjacent calcification, or debris from chronic impingement. The iliopsoas tendon in particular can develop a discrete calcific focus near its insertion on the lesser trochanter, producing groin pain that prompts imaging and subsequent removal. Surgeons may approach the hip tendon through an open or arthroscopically assisted technique, carefully working around the femoral neurovascular bundle when addressing the anterior iliopsoas tendon. Clear identification of which hip tendon was involved, iliopsoas versus a gluteal or other tendon, supports accurate coding since the hip region contains several distinct tendinous structures in close proximity.

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.

Coding & Documentation

Extirpation is coded when documentation describes removing solid matter, abnormal by presence or amount, from within or around the tendon, distinct from removing a piece of the tendon itself. The note should specify what was extracted, such as a calcific deposit, foreign body, or organized clot, and the tendon or region involved.

A frequent coding error is applying Extirpation to routine debridement of degenerated tendon tissue, which actually belongs under Excision because that tissue is part of the tendon rather than foreign or abnormal material lodged within it. Coders also sometimes miss that if the extracted material is accompanied by simple fluid drainage in the same operative field, both actions may need separate codes depending on what exactly was documented as removed.

Commonly Confused With

ExcisionExcision is the most common point of confusion, and the deciding factor is whether the material removed is part of the tendon's own structure, which is Excision, or foreign or abnormal solid matter not native to the tendon, which is Extirpation.
DrainageDrainage overlaps when a collection contains both fluid and solid debris, in which case the predominant character of what was removed, and sometimes both actions if clearly documented, determines the correct code.
RepairRepair procedures sometimes follow extirpation to close the access incision, but a simple closure is not separately coded unless it involves a distinct reconstructive repair of the tendon.