ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0LCB4ZZ

Extirpation Trunk Tendon, Left to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemL Tendons
OperationC Extirpation
Body PartB Trunk Tendon, Left
Approach4 Percutaneous Endoscopic
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

Trunk Tendon, Left

On the left trunk, tendinous structures supporting the posterior and lateral trunk musculature can similarly accumulate calcific material or organized hematoma requiring extirpation, often in the setting of chronic overuse or a healed strain that left behind a palpable, imaging-confirmed density. The surgical approach mirrors that used on the right, with an incision placed directly over the identified lesion and dissection carried down through fascia to the tendon without disturbing its fibers. Because trunk musculature is broad and its tendinous insertions are less discretely named than those of the limbs, the surgeon and coder must correlate operative findings with imaging to confirm the material originated from tendon rather than adjacent muscle belly. Postoperative care focuses on gradual return to activity to avoid recurrence of the underlying strain pattern.

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

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.