0FC00ZZ
Extirpation Liver to No Qualifier with No Device, Open Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | F Hepatobiliary System and Pancreas |
| Operation | C Extirpation |
| Body Part | 0 Liver |
| Approach | 0 Open |
| Device | Z No Device |
| Qualifier | Z No Qualifier |
Operation Definition
Taking or cutting out solid matter from a body part
Procedure Overview
Extirpation covers taking solid material out of the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, or pancreas that doesn't belong there, most often gallstones or bile duct stones, but also blood clots, sludge, or other debris obstructing a duct. Unlike excision, nothing that is normally part of the organ is cut away; the goal is simply to clear an obstruction.
This type of procedure is typically performed when a stone has lodged in the common bile duct or cystic duct, causing pain, jaundice, or infection, or when debris is blocking pancreatic drainage. It can be done through an open or laparoscopic incision, or via endoscope during a procedure such as ERCP, where instruments are passed through the mouth and stomach to reach the bile duct.
Because blocked ducts can lead to serious infection or pancreatitis if untreated, extirpation is often performed urgently rather than as scheduled surgery.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Liver
The liver is the largest solid abdominal organ, filtering portal blood and producing bile through a dense network of hepatocytes, sinusoids, and biliary radicles. Extirpation of the liver refers to removal of solid abnormal material such as an abscess, a calcified granuloma, or debris from a hydatid cyst that cannot be left in place, distinguishing it from resection of otherwise normal parenchyma. Because hepatic tissue is highly vascular and infiltrated abnormal material may sit near major vessels or bile ducts, the approach often combines careful dissection with irrigation to avoid seeding the abdominal cavity. Coders should confirm that the intent was removal of an abnormal solid substance from within the organ rather than excision of a lesion or a formal lobectomy, since the underlying pathology drives the correct root operation choice.
Approach: Open
Open approach means the surgeon cuts through skin, mucous membrane, or other tissue layers to physically expose the target site to view before performing the procedure. It gives direct visualization and hands-on access, distinguishing it from Percutaneous approaches where instruments pass through a small puncture without exposing the site. Open is typical for procedures needing wide access, such as most laparotomies.
Coding & Documentation
Documentation should identify the material removed (stone, clot, sludge) and its exact location, since the body part value changes the code depending on whether the stone was in the gallbladder, cystic duct, common bile duct, or pancreatic duct. The approach also matters: an ERCP-based stone removal is coded differently than an open choledocholithotomy. A common assignment mistake is defaulting to Extraction because the material was 'pulled out,' when PCS defines this scenario as Extirpation since the object is abnormal solid matter rather than a body part being stripped away by force. Coders should also watch for combination procedures, such as a stone extraction performed during the same operative episode as a cholecystectomy, which may require separate codes.