ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0LQC4ZZ

Repair Thorax Tendon, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemL Tendons
OperationQ Repair
Body PartC Thorax Tendon, Right
Approach4 Percutaneous Endoscopic
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

Thorax Tendon, Right

Thorax tendons on the right include tendinous structures associated with the chest wall musculature, such as attachments of the intercostal or pectoral muscle groups to the rib cage and sternum, which participate in shoulder girdle movement and respiratory mechanics. Repair is typically undertaken after a penetrating chest wall injury, a surgical complication during thoracic access, or traumatic avulsion where a muscle tendon has torn from its bony attachment near the ribs. Because this region overlies the pleura and lung, repair must be performed with attention to the adjacent thoracic cavity, and surgeons may coordinate with a chest exploration if the injury mechanism raises suspicion of deeper involvement. The right-sided designation distinguishes this from a mirrored left-sided injury and helps track laterality of blunt or penetrating chest trauma.

Approach: Percutaneous Endoscopic

Percutaneous Endoscopic combines a puncture through skin or mucous membrane with insertion of an endoscope to visualize the procedure internally, as in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. It is distinguished from plain Percutaneous by the presence of scope-guided visualization, and from Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic by its route being a new puncture rather than an existing orifice or stoma.

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.