ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

07DR0ZZ

Extraction Bone Marrow, Iliac to No Qualifier with No Device, Open Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body System7 Lymphatic and Hemic Systems
OperationD Extraction
Body PartR Bone Marrow, Iliac
Approach0 Open
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ 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

Extraction in this body system almost always refers to bone marrow procedures - pulling out marrow tissue using a needle and manual force rather than a cutting instrument. A physician advances a needle into the marrow cavity, usually at the posterior iliac crest, and withdraws either a liquid marrow sample by aspiration or a solid core sample by twisting and pulling the needle free.

These procedures are performed to evaluate blood cell production when someone has unexplained anemia, abnormal blood counts, a suspected blood cancer, or to stage lymphoma. The same technique, at larger volume, is used to harvest marrow for a stem cell or bone marrow transplant, where the marrow is collected from a donor rather than for diagnosis.

Because the tissue is pulled or stripped out by force rather than sliced away, this family sits apart from ordinary biopsy techniques used on solid organs, even though the clinical intent, sampling tissue for evaluation, is similar.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Bone Marrow, Iliac

The iliac crest is the standard site for bone marrow sampling, its broad, superficial bone allowing a needle to reach the marrow cavity with a low risk of injury to nearby organs, most often approached posteriorly with the patient prone or on their side. Extraction of iliac marrow yields both an aspirate for cellular analysis and, frequently, a core biopsy for architecture, making it the workhorse procedure for diagnosing and monitoring leukemias, lymphomas, myelodysplastic syndromes, and unexplained cytopenias. The posterior superior iliac spine is the preferred landmark because the bone is thickest there, reducing the chance of a dry tap. This site's accessibility and safety profile explain why it is used far more often than sternal or vertebral marrow sampling.

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 need documentation specifying whether the procedure was a marrow aspiration (liquid marrow withdrawn by syringe), a core biopsy (a solid cylinder of marrow pulled out with a biopsy needle), or both, since both are captured under Extraction but the approach and diagnostic qualifier may differ. The note should confirm the bone marrow was the target, not a separate skeletal structure, since a bone biopsy with marrow incidentally obtained is coded differently.

A common mistake is defaulting to Excision because the word "biopsy" appears in the note; bone marrow biopsy is Extraction by PCS definition regardless of that word choice. Another error is failing to separately code an aspiration and a core biopsy performed at the same session through two separate needle passes, when guidelines call for capturing both.

Commonly Confused With

ExcisionExcision is the term coders reflexively reach for with any biopsy, but marrow sampling is defined as Extraction because the tissue is physically pulled free rather than cut.
DrainageDrainage is sometimes confused with marrow aspiration since both involve a needle and a syringe, but drainage removes fluid that has abnormally accumulated, while aspiration pulls normal marrow tissue for sampling.
InsertionInsertion of a bone marrow harvest device is a separate, uncommon consideration only if a mechanical harvesting system rather than manual extraction is used.