ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0LQG3ZZ

Repair Abdomen Tendon, Left to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemL Tendons
OperationQ Repair
Body PartG Abdomen Tendon, Left
Approach3 Percutaneous
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Restoring, to the extent possible, a body part to its normal anatomic structure and function

Procedure Overview

Repair procedures on tendons address damage from lacerations, partial tears, or defects that need to be closed or restored using suture or local tissue, without replacing the tendon with graft material or moving it to a new anatomic position. This is the default root operation for tendon surgery whenever no more specific objective, such as replacement, reposition, or resection, applies. A classic example is suturing a lacerated flexor tendon in the hand after a knife injury, or closing a partial tear in the Achilles tendon.

These procedures are performed to restore a tendon's ability to transmit muscle force to bone, which is essential for normal joint movement. Left unrepaired, a torn or lacerated tendon can lead to permanent loss of motion or strength in the affected limb, so timely repair is often emphasized, particularly for tendons in the hand and wrist where scarring and adhesions can quickly limit the surgical window.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Abdomen Tendon, Left

The left abdomen tendons comprise the aponeurotic and tendinous portions of the abdominal wall muscles on that side, contributing to trunk flexion, rotation, and the muscular support that resists herniation of abdominal contents. Injury may arise from blunt trauma, a surgical incision made for an unrelated procedure, or chronic degenerative weakening that predisposes to tearing under exertion. Repair involves suturing the tendinous fibers back together or reattaching them to adjacent fascia, and is frequently performed alongside mesh-based hernia repair when a defect coexists with the tendon injury. Because athletes commonly present with a sports hernia affecting the left-sided oblique tendon insertion, this body part is a recurring focus in sports medicine practice. Accurate laterality coding differentiates it from right-sided abdominal wall tendon procedures.

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.

Coding & Documentation

Coders assign a Repair code when the documentation describes suturing, direct closure, or similar restoration of tendon continuity using the patient's own tissue, without a graft substituting for missing tendon substance. The operative note should specify which tendon and where along its course the repair occurred, since ICD-10-PCS body part values distinguish tendons by region rather than by naming every individual tendon.

The most common assignment error is choosing Repair by default without first ruling out a more specific root operation; if the surgeon used graft material to bridge a tendon gap, Replacement is more accurate, and if the tendon was cut and moved to a different location for realignment, Reposition applies instead. Another frequent miss is failing to code a separate procedure when Repair is done as an unplanned part of a more complex operation, such as fixing an incidental tendon nick during another surgery.

Commonly Confused With

RepositionRepair is most often confused with Reposition, since both can involve suturing a tendon; the distinguishing factor is intent, Repair restores a damaged tendon to its own anatomic position, while Reposition moves a tendon, often intact, to a different location such as during a tendon transfer for function restoration.
ReplacementIt is also confused with Replacement when a graft is used, and with Supplement when material is added to reinforce a tendon rather than close a defect in it.