0LDG0ZZ
Extraction Abdomen Tendon, Left to No Qualifier with No Device, Open Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | L Tendons |
| Operation | D Extraction |
| Body Part | G Abdomen Tendon, Left |
| Approach | 0 Open |
| Device | Z No Device |
| Qualifier | Z No Qualifier |
Operation Definition
Pulling or stripping out or off all or a portion of a body part by the use of force
Procedure Overview
Tendon extraction procedures involve pulling or stripping out all or part of a tendon using mechanical force, most often to remove a tendon that has become severely diseased, calcified, or is being harvested for use elsewhere in the body. A common example is stripping the long saphenous vein equivalent in tendon work, such as harvesting the palmaris longus or a strip of hamstring tendon to serve as graft material for reconstructing a torn ligament or another damaged tendon. It is also used to remove a tendon that is chronically inflamed or fibrotic and no longer functions, when leaving it in place would cause ongoing pain or restrict motion.
Patients typically encounter this procedure as one step within a larger operation, such as ACL reconstruction using a hamstring autograft, rather than as a standalone treatment. The extracted tendon tissue is either discarded because it is diseased, or preserved and repositioned for grafting, which distinguishes this from a simple excision.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Abdomen Tendon, Left
On the left abdomen, tendinous tissue associated with muscles like the rectus abdominis or oblique group inserts along the costal margin, pubis, and linea alba, forming part of the broader abdominal wall aponeurosis. Extraction procedures address retained foreign objects from prior trauma or surgical debris, or involve biopsying a mass such as a desmoid tumor that has infiltrated a tendinous insertion. Given the thin, sheet-like nature of abdominal tendons and their close association with the fascia and underlying peritoneum, the surgeon must carefully separate tendinous tissue from adjoining structures to avoid inadvertent entry into the abdominal cavity. Correct laterality and anatomic detail in documentation are important because the abdominal wall's tendinous components are diffuse and easily conflated with fascia in the surgical record.
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
Coders assign an extraction code from this family when documentation shows tendon tissue being pulled or stripped out by force, commonly during graft harvesting for ligament or tendon reconstruction elsewhere in the body. The operative note must specify that the tendon (not a ligament, muscle, or bursa) was the harvested structure and identify the specific tendon and body part value.
The most frequent assignment error is confusing extraction with excision when a portion of tendon is simply cut away rather than pulled out with force - excision applies when a scalpel or similar sharp method removes the tissue without traction. Coders also sometimes miss that harvested graft tissue used elsewhere still generates a separate code for the extraction site itself, distinct from the code for wherever the graft is placed.