ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0QCL4ZZ

Extirpation Tarsal, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemQ Lower Bones
OperationC Extirpation
Body PartL Tarsal, Right
Approach4 Percutaneous Endoscopic
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Taking or cutting out solid matter from a body part

Procedure Overview

Extirpation of the lower bones is the removal of solid material that doesn't belong there - a loose bone fragment, a piece of dead bone (sequestrum) left behind by infection, or debris lodged in the bone following trauma. Unlike cutting away living bone tissue, this procedure clears out material that is already separated or non-viable, which is why it's often paired with treating osteomyelitis or cleaning up after a fracture.

Patients typically undergo this when imaging or prior surgery has identified fragments that are causing pain, blocking healing, or perpetuating an infection. Removing the material can relieve symptoms and allow the surrounding bone to heal normally.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Tarsal, Right

Extirpation of the right tarsal bones targets solid material - infected bone fragments, foreign debris, or necrotic tissue - within the cluster of bones forming the hindfoot and midfoot, including the calcaneus, talus, navicular, cuboid, and cuneiforms. These bones are densely packed and articulate extensively with one another, so infection or debris in one tarsal can threaten adjacent joints and the overall arch structure if not addressed. Surgeons usually approach through a dorsal or medial incision depending on which specific tarsal bone is involved, using curettage to clear the affected area while preserving joint surfaces and load-transmitting architecture whenever possible. Because the tarsals bear significant weight during stance and gait, meticulous technique is needed to avoid destabilizing the foot, and coding should reflect that only abnormal material was removed.

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

Look for documentation describing removal of a sequestrum, loose body, necrotic bone fragment, or foreign material from within a lower bone. Sequestrectomy for chronic osteomyelitis is a classic example. The material removed should be distinguishable from the bone itself - it's being taken out of the bone, not cut from it. A frequent coding mistake is defaulting to excision whenever a bone procedure is described, without checking whether the surgeon was actually removing a discrete, already-separated fragment versus cutting living bone; the two require different root operations even when performed through the same incision.

Commonly Confused With

ExcisionThe key distinction from Excision is that extirpation removes matter that is not a normal part of the body part - dead or foreign material - while excision cuts a portion of a body part that is still living tissue.
ExtractionExtirpation is also distinct from Extraction, which pulls material out using force rather than simply lifting or removing loose fragments, and from Removal (a different root operation used for devices, not native tissue).