ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0BL13DZ

Occlusion Trachea to No Qualifier with Intraluminal Device, Percutaneous Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemB Respiratory System
OperationL Occlusion
Body Part1 Trachea
Approach3 Percutaneous
DeviceD Intraluminal Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

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

Procedure Overview

This family describes procedures that completely close off part of the airway, most often to stop air or secretions from passing through a specific bronchus or to control a leak. A common application is placing an endobronchial valve to block airflow into a diseased or overinflated portion of the lung, a technique used in lung volume reduction for severe emphysema or to seal a persistent air leak after surgery or trauma. Occlusion may also be used to manage a bronchopleural fistula by blocking the affected airway segment, giving the surrounding lung tissue a chance to heal.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Trachea

Occlusion of the trachea means complete closure of its lumen, a rare and consequential procedure most often performed as part of laryngectomy or tracheal stump management, where the proximal or distal tracheal end is surgically sealed after removal of the larynx or a diseased segment. It differs fundamentally from a tracheostomy, which creates an opening, since here the airway is deliberately closed off. Because obstructing the sole conduit for airflow to the lungs is immediately life-threatening if the patient is not otherwise supported, this procedure is performed only in specific reconstructive contexts, such as separating the airway from the esophagus or closing a tracheal remnant, and requires that an alternative airway already exists.

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 select this family when the documentation describes a deliberate, complete blockage of an airway lumen, whether achieved with an implanted valve, coil, or other blocking material, or by suturing or clipping a bronchus shut. The device value and specific bronchial or tracheal body part must match the operative note precisely, since occlusion is frequently performed at a segmental or subsegmental level. A common error is coding a therapeutic valve placement as Insertion alone without recognizing that the intent to block airflow makes Occlusion the more accurate root operation, or missing that occlusion of a bronchus during lobectomy for stump closure is typically integral to the resection and not coded separately.

Commonly Confused With

RestrictionOcclusion is often confused with Restriction, which narrows rather than completely closes a lumen; a partially constricting band would be Restriction, while a valve or ligature that stops all airflow is Occlusion.
ExcisionIt also differs from Excision, since occlusion leaves the airway segment in place but nonfunctional rather than removing tissue.