ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0TC48ZZ

Extirpation Kidney Pelvis, Left to No Qualifier with No Device, Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemT Urinary System
OperationC Extirpation
Body Part4 Kidney Pelvis, Left
Approach8 Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Taking or cutting out solid matter from a body part

Procedure Overview

Extirpation covers procedures that physically remove solid material from inside a urinary structure without cutting out any of the structure itself. Classic examples include removing a kidney or bladder stone through an open or endoscopic approach, clearing a blood clot obstructing the bladder, or taking out debris that has collected in a ureter. The material removed is abnormal - it does not belong there - and the underlying organ stays intact once it is gone.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Kidney Pelvis, Left

The left kidney pelvis is the funnel-like collecting structure that gathers urine from the calyces before it passes into the left ureter, and its relatively dependent, low-flow geometry makes it a frequent site for calculus formation and crystalline debris accumulation. Extirpation here refers to the physical removal of such solid material, commonly performed via percutaneous nephrolithotomy, ureteroscopic stone basketing, or open pyelolithotomy for large or complex stones. This body part is coded distinctly from the kidney parenchyma itself, so documentation should confirm that the stone or debris originated in, and was removed from, the pelvic collecting space rather than the renal substance. Because the left kidney pelvis lies near the splenic flexure and major vasculature, access planning for percutaneous approaches often differs from the right side and should be reflected in the coded approach value.

Approach: Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic

Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic describes instrumentation introduced through a natural orifice or a surgically created opening while using an endoscope for visualization, as in a routine colonoscopy performed through the anus. It differs from the plain Via Natural or Artificial Opening value by the added scope, and from Percutaneous Endoscopic by using an existing passage rather than a new skin puncture.

Coding & Documentation

The coder needs documentation confirming that the object removed was solid matter foreign to normal anatomy, such as a calculus, clot, or necrotic material, and that no tissue resection occurred alongside it. The specific site and approach (percutaneous, transurethral, open) determine the code. A common assignment error is coding stone removal as Fragmentation when the stone was broken up and then extracted as pieces - if fragments are actually retrieved and removed, Extirpation may apply to the retrieval step in addition to Fragmentation for the breaking-up step, and coders sometimes capture only one of the two.

Commonly Confused With

FragmentationExtirpation is easily confused with Fragmentation, which breaks a stone into pieces without necessarily removing them (as in lithotripsy where fragments pass on their own).
ExcisionIt also overlaps conceptually with Excision, but the key distinction is that Extirpation removes something abnormal that formed inside the body, while Excision removes a piece of the body's own tissue.