0QP20KZ
Removal Pelvic Bone, Right to No Qualifier with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Open Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | Q Lower Bones |
| Operation | P Removal |
| Body Part | 2 Pelvic Bone, Right |
| Approach | 0 Open |
| Device | K Nonautologous Tissue Substitute |
| Qualifier | Z No Qualifier |
Operation Definition
Taking out or off a device from a body part
Procedure Overview
Removal procedures take out a device that was previously placed in or on a lower bone - hardware such as plates, screws, rods, pins, external fixator components, or spacers used in the pelvis, femur, tibia, fibula, patella, or foot bones. These devices are typically inserted to stabilize a fracture, hold a bone graft, or support a joint during healing, and removal happens once that purpose has been served or if the device is causing a problem.
Reasons for removal vary widely. Hardware may simply be scheduled for extraction after a fracture has healed, especially in children whose growing bones can be irritated by permanent implants. In other cases the device is removed because it has become infected, has loosened, is causing pain from irritating overlying soft tissue, or is interfering with a later procedure such as a joint replacement.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Pelvic Bone, Right
The right pelvic bone, comprising the ilium, ischium, and pubis on that side, frequently houses external fixator pins, plates, or screws placed to stabilize pelvic ring fractures or acetabular injuries. Removal from this bone describes extracting such previously implanted hardware once fracture healing is confirmed, or earlier if the device becomes infected, loosens, or causes local irritation from its proximity to overlying soft tissue and the iliac crest. Because the pelvis is a large, irregularly shaped structure adjacent to major vessels, the lumbosacral plexus, and pelvic organs, removal of hardware here demands attention to the original fixation pathway to avoid disturbing partially healed bone or nearby neurovascular structures. Documentation should identify laterality and the specific device extracted, distinguishing this from any concurrent bone debridement, which would be coded separately.
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.
Device: Nonautologous Tissue Substitute
Nonautologous Tissue Substitute refers to biologic material sourced from a donor or another species, such as an allograft or xenograft, used to replace a body part. It differs from Autologous Tissue Substitute by tissue origin outside the patient's own body, and from Synthetic Substitute by being biologic rather than manufactured material.
Coding & Documentation
Coders assign Removal when documentation confirms a device is being taken out and not replaced with another device during the same operative episode - if a new device goes in at the same site, the procedure is Change or a combination of Removal and another root operation such as Insertion, not Removal alone. The device type and the specific bone it was removed from both need to be identifiable from the operative note. A common error is coding Removal for hardware that is only being adjusted or repositioned rather than fully extracted, or overlooking that the removal of a device is bundled into a broader procedure when substantial additional work, like bone repair, is performed at the same site.