0UQ97ZZ
Repair Uterus to No Qualifier with No Device, Via Natural or Artificial Opening Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | U Female Reproductive System |
| Operation | Q Repair |
| Body Part | 9 Uterus |
| Approach | 7 Via Natural or Artificial Opening |
| 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 in the female reproductive system cover surgeries that restore a body part to its normal structure and function when no other root operation more precisely describes what was done. This is the root operation used when a surgeon closes a laceration, drains a hematoma, or corrects a defect without removing tissue, replacing it with a substitute, or rearranging anatomy in one of the other specific ways ICD-10-PCS defines. It is essentially a catch-all for reconstructive or corrective work on the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina, vulva, or cervix.
Patients encounter these procedures after childbirth trauma, such as suturing a perineal or cervical tear, or following an injury or unintended surgical complication, such as repairing an accidental puncture of the uterus during another operation. Because Repair is a residual category, it is only assigned when the documentation doesn't support a more specific term like Resection, Reposition, or Supplement.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Uterus
Repair of the uterus addresses defects in the uterine wall, such as a rupture occurring during labor, a perforation from instrumentation like dilation and curettage, or a defect from prior cesarean scarring, where the surgical goal is to close and restore the uterine wall rather than remove tissue. Because the uterus is a thick muscular organ, repair often involves layered closure to reapproximate the myometrium and reduce the risk of future rupture, particularly relevant for patients desiring subsequent pregnancy. The proximity of the bladder anteriorly and the bowel posteriorly means repair of anterior or posterior wall defects requires attention to adjacent organ injury. Documentation should specify the location and cause of the uterine defect and confirm that closure, rather than resection of uterine tissue, was performed.
Approach: Via Natural or Artificial Opening
Via Natural or Artificial Opening means the instrument reaches the target site by passing through an existing body orifice, such as the mouth or urethra, or a surgically created opening like a stoma, without additional incision or scope guidance. It is distinguished from the Endoscopic variant by the absence of a visualizing scope, and from External by actually traversing into the body through that opening.
Coding & Documentation
A coder should turn to Repair only after confirming that none of the more specific root operations apply, since PCS coding conventions treat Repair as the default rather than a first choice. The operative note needs to clearly describe suturing, closure, or reconstruction of a defect, along with the exact structure involved (for example, cervix versus vaginal wall) and the surgical approach, whether open, percutaneous endoscopic, or vaginal.
The most common assignment error is defaulting to Repair when the surgeon actually performed a more specific operation, such as reattaching a prolapsed structure to its normal position (Reposition) or reinforcing tissue with mesh (Supplement). Coders also sometimes miss that a repair performed incidentally during a different primary procedure, like repairing a cystotomy during a hysterectomy, may not need separate coding depending on payer and coding guideline rules.