0RPE3KZ
Removal Sternoclavicular Joint, Right to No Qualifier with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Percutaneous Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | R Upper Joints |
| Operation | P Removal |
| Body Part | E Sternoclavicular Joint, Right |
| Approach | 3 Percutaneous |
| 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 on the upper joints take out a device that was previously placed in the joint during an earlier operation, without putting anything else in its place. This covers situations like extracting hardware such as pins, screws, or wires used for a prior fracture repair once the bone has healed, removing an infected or loosened joint spacer, or taking out sutures, anchors, or other fixation devices that are no longer needed or are causing problems.
These procedures are performed when a device has served its purpose, has failed, is causing pain or irritation, or has become infected and needs to come out before any further treatment can proceed.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Sternoclavicular Joint, Right
The right sternoclavicular joint is a small, disc-containing synovial joint at the junction of the manubrium and the medial clavicle, and it is one of the few true articulations connecting the upper limb to the axial skeleton. Removal here applies when a previously placed device, such as internal fixation hardware, a plate, pins, or a reconstructive graft anchor used after dislocation or resection, is taken out without a replacement device being left in its place. Because the joint sits directly anterior to major mediastinal vessels and the trachea, prior implants are often used sparingly, and their removal is documented carefully with attention to whether any residual material, cement, or wire fragments remain. Coding depends on confirming that no new device is inserted during the same encounter, distinguishing this from a revision procedure.
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: 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
Coding this family requires documentation that a device is being taken out and that nothing is being put in its place during the same operative episode - if a new device is implanted after removal, the procedure is coded instead as Replacement or Revision depending on what happened to the joint itself. The device type and its original purpose should be clear in the note to support the correct device value.
A common error is coding Removal for hardware taken out during a revision arthroplasty, when the removal of an old component and insertion of a new one in the same joint at the same session should instead be captured as a single Replacement procedure. Coders also sometimes overlook that removal of a device from a joint accompanied by repair of joint damage caused by that device requires an additional Repair or Revision code for the corrected tissue.