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Repair Upper Leg Tendon, Left to No Qualifier with No Device, Open Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | L Tendons |
| Operation | Q Repair |
| Body Part | M Upper Leg Tendon, Left |
| Approach | 0 Open |
| Device | Z No Device |
| Qualifier | Z 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
Upper Leg Tendon, Left
The left upper leg tendons comprise the quadriceps, hamstring, and adductor tendon groups that extend and flex the knee and stabilize the hip on that side, functioning together to support the body's weight during walking, running, and rising movements. Rupture typically follows a sudden forceful contraction against resistance, as seen in jumping athletes, or degenerative weakening in older adults with underlying tendinopathy that predisposes to failure under lesser stress. Repair reapproximates the torn ends or reattaches the tendon to bone, often requiring the knee to be immobilized in extension postoperatively to protect the repair while healing progresses. Left-sided documentation is maintained separately from right because these injuries frequently occur unilaterally in the context of a specific fall or athletic maneuver affecting one limb.
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.
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.