0UC93ZZ
Extirpation Uterus to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | U Female Reproductive System |
| Operation | C Extirpation |
| Body Part | 9 Uterus |
| Approach | 3 Percutaneous |
| 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 or cutting solid matter out of the female reproductive tract that does not belong there - this includes removing blood clots, retained products of conception, calcified tissue, or foreign objects, as opposed to removing a piece of an organ itself. A common example is evacuation of retained placental tissue after delivery or miscarriage, or removal of a calcified fibroid fragment that has become dislodged.
This root operation is used when the material being removed is abnormal or misplaced rather than a normal anatomical structure, and the goal is simply to clear it out rather than to treat the organ housing it. Clinically, patients undergo these procedures for incomplete miscarriage, postpartum hemorrhage from retained tissue, or infections associated with foreign material like a lost IUD fragment.
Because the matter being removed is not itself living tissue that is part of the organ, extirpation is conceptually distinct from cutting into an organ to take a sample of that organ's own structure.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Uterus
The uterus is the muscular pelvic organ responsible for gestation and menstruation, and extirpation of this body part refers to removal of abnormal material from within its cavity or wall, such as retained products of conception, infected or necrotic tissue, or a large blood clot, without resecting uterine tissue itself. This differs fundamentally from hysterectomy or myomectomy, since the myometrium and endometrial lining remain in place after the procedure. Common indications include postpartum hemorrhage with retained clot, incomplete abortion, or intrauterine infection with necrotic debris, and the approach may be performed via dilation and evacuation or hysteroscopically depending on the material's location and character. Documentation should make clear that the uterine wall itself was preserved and only the abnormal contents were removed.
Approach: Percutaneous
Percutaneous describes entry by needle or instrument puncture through the skin or mucous membrane to reach the site of the procedure, without cutting the tissue open or using a visualizing scope. It differs from Open in that the site itself is never exposed, and from Percutaneous Endoscopic in that no endoscope is used to see internal structures. Common examples include needle biopsies and injections.
Coding & Documentation
Coding support requires documentation that identifies the material removed as solid matter - clot, retained products of conception, calculus, or foreign body - rather than as a specimen of the organ's own tissue. Operative notes describing dilation and curettage for retained products, or laparoscopic removal of a dislodged device, typically support this code. The body part value should reflect the anatomical site where the extraction occurred, such as the uterus for a D&C performed for retained products.
The recurring mistake is coding a D&C as Extraction when the documentation actually describes cutting or curetting out solid matter, since D&C procedures for retained products of conception are classified as Extirpation rather than Extraction, which is reserved for pulling or stripping tissue out by force. Coders also occasionally miss that a D&C performed to obtain an endometrial sample for diagnosis is coded differently, since that involves a different intent and root operation.