ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0TLB3DZ

Occlusion Bladder to No Qualifier with Intraluminal Device, Percutaneous Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemT Urinary System
OperationL Occlusion
Body PartB Bladder
Approach3 Percutaneous
DeviceD Intraluminal Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Completely closing an orifice or the lumen of a tubular body part

Procedure Overview

Occlusion procedures close off a urinary structure completely, most often a ureter, so that urine or another substance can no longer pass through it. This is done when a ureter must be sealed off because of an unrepairable fistula, a nonfunctioning kidney left in place, or a urinary diversion in which the natural path from kidney to bladder is intentionally interrupted. The occlusion can be achieved surgically by ligating or clipping the ureter, or by placing material inside the vessel to block flow.

Patients who undergo this procedure often have advanced disease affecting kidney function or urinary drainage, such as a kidney destroyed by long-standing obstruction, and the goal is to prevent urine leakage or infection rather than to restore normal function.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Bladder

The bladder is the distensible reservoir that stores urine between voids, and occluding it means deliberately closing off an opening into or out of the organ rather than blocking the organ's own lumen, since the bladder itself has no single through-channel to obstruct. In practice this typically applies to closing a fistulous tract, such as a vesicovaginal or enterovesical fistula, or occluding a surgically created opening like a cystostomy site, using suture, clip, or an occlusive device placed cystoscopically or through an open approach. Because the bladder wall is thin and its capacity depends on adequate compliance, occlusion procedures are planned to avoid compromising storage function or triggering irritative voiding symptoms, and they are frequently performed alongside repair of the underlying defect that made the opening problematic in the first place.

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.

Device: Intraluminal Device

Intraluminal Device denotes a single device, such as a stent or occlusion device, positioned within the lumen of a tubular body part like a vessel, duct, or airway to maintain patency or occlude flow. It carries no drug coating or radioactivity, distinguishing it from the drug-eluting, radioactive, and bioactive intraluminal device values, and from Extraluminal Device, which sits outside rather than inside the lumen.

Coding & Documentation

Coders should confirm from the operative note that the intent was complete closure of the lumen, not narrowing or repair, since Occlusion requires that no material can pass through afterward. Documentation should specify the exact segment of ureter closed and the method used, whether suture ligation, clipping, or an endoluminal occluding device, because the approach value depends on how access was gained.

A common mistake is confusing occlusion with Restriction, which only partially narrows a lumen rather than closing it entirely; if any flow is still possible, Restriction is the correct root operation instead. Another frequent error is coding an occlusion performed as part of a larger diversion or nephrectomy procedure as a separate line item when it was an integral step of that more comprehensive procedure and should not be coded independently.

Commonly Confused With

This family is most often confused with Restriction, since both narrow a tubular structure, and with an incidental ligation performed as a step of another procedure. The key distinction from Restriction is whether the lumen is completely closed versus only partially narrowed. The distinction from an incidental ligation is whether closing the ureter was the primary objective of the procedure or merely a technical step within a more extensive operation such as a nephroureterectomy, in which case it is not coded separately.