ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0VC34ZZ

Extirpation Seminal Vesicles, Bilateral to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemV Male Reproductive System
OperationC Extirpation
Body Part3 Seminal Vesicles, Bilateral
Approach4 Percutaneous Endoscopic
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Taking or cutting out solid matter from a body part

Procedure Overview

Extirpation removes solid material that does not belong in the body from a male reproductive structure, such as a calcified stone in the vas deferens, a blood clot obstructing the epididymis, or a foreign object lodged in the scrotal or penile tissue. Unlike excision, no normal body part is cut away; the surgeon is retrieving debris, a clot, or a stone that has formed or lodged within an otherwise intact structure.

This type of procedure is typically performed when the obstructing material is causing pain, blocking normal fluid flow, or risking infection, and imaging has identified a discrete mass of foreign or abnormal material rather than diseased tissue that needs to be sampled or removed. Retrieval can be done through a small incision, endoscopically, or under image guidance depending on where the material is located.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Seminal Vesicles, Bilateral

When both seminal vesicles require extirpation, the procedure addresses solid material, such as calculi, thickened secretions, or infected debris, present within each of the paired glands situated behind the bladder. Bilateral involvement typically reflects a more widespread or chronic process, such as long-standing vesiculitis or bilateral stone formation, rather than an isolated unilateral problem, and it often carries more significant implications for fertility given the vesicles' shared role in seminal fluid production. Reaching both structures usually requires an endoscopic or minimally invasive approach given their deep pelvic location adjacent to the bladder base, rectum, and ureters on each side. Coding as a bilateral procedure reflects that both glands were addressed in the same operative episode rather than as two separate unilateral encounters.

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 note must describe removal of solid matter, such as a calculus, thrombus, or foreign body, from within a structure rather than removal of the structure's own tissue. Coders should look for words like stone, clot, or foreign body extraction rather than biopsy or resection, since those point toward Excision or Resection instead. A common error is coding drainage of an organized hematoma as Drainage when the clot has become solid and is being physically removed, which should be Extirpation; the distinction hinges on whether the material is fluid enough to be aspirated or has organized into a solid mass requiring extraction.

Commonly Confused With

DrainageDrainage is the most frequent point of confusion, since both address unwanted material within a body part; the deciding factor is physical state, with liquid or gas removed as Drainage and solid matter removed as Extirpation.
ExcisionExcision can also overlap in cases where a stone has become embedded in tissue that must be cut to free it; if any of the surrounding organ tissue is also taken out, the procedure may need to be coded as both Extirpation and Excision depending on what the documentation supports.