ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0FRC4KZ

Replacement Ampulla of Vater to No Qualifier with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemF Hepatobiliary System and Pancreas
OperationR Replacement
Body PartC Ampulla of Vater
Approach4 Percutaneous Endoscopic
DeviceK Nonautologous Tissue Substitute
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Putting in or on biological or synthetic material that physically takes the place and/or function of all or a portion of a body part

Procedure Overview

Replacement procedures in this body system involve putting in biological or synthetic material that physically takes over for hepatobiliary or pancreatic tissue that has been removed or has failed. This is less common here than in joints or vessels, but it appears in cases such as reconstructing a resected segment of common bile duct with a synthetic conduit, or substituting a portion of the biliary tree with harvested tissue when the native duct cannot be repaired or reconnected directly.

The goal is to restore the physical pathway or structural function that the original tissue provided, most often maintaining bile flow from the liver to the intestine after injury, tumor removal, or failed prior surgery. Because these are structurally significant reconstructions, they're typically performed as part of a larger operation rather than as standalone procedures.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Ampulla of Vater

The ampulla of Vater is the short common channel where the distal common bile duct and main pancreatic duct converge before opening into the duodenal wall, its outflow governed by the sphincter of Oddi. Replacement here is reserved for rare reconstructive scenarios, most often as part of managing ampullary tumors, strictures, or traumatic disruption, where the native junctional segment is excised and a biologic or synthetic conduit is used to reestablish a functioning channel between the ducts and the duodenum. Because the ampulla sits at a confluence of two separate ductal systems and controls both bile and pancreatic enzyme delivery, the substitute structure must maintain a competent, non-obstructive outlet, and documentation should reflect that a defined tubular segment was recreated rather than simply repaired or transferred.

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.

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

Coders should look for explicit documentation that a graft, conduit, or other material was used to physically stand in for tissue that was excised or was not repairable in place. The operative report needs to state what was removed, what material replaced it, and where it was anastomosed. A common mistake is coding Replacement when the surgeon actually reconstructed continuity using the patient's own repositioned tissue, such as a Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy, which is typically coded differently since bowel is being connected rather than biliary tissue being replaced. Confirming the material type (autograft, synthetic, or nonautologous) also matters for accurate device character assignment.

Commonly Confused With

SupplementReplacement is often confused with Supplement, where added material reinforces existing tissue rather than substituting for tissue that's gone.
RepositionIt also differs from Reposition, which relocates existing anatomy without adding replacement material, and from Repair, which restores original structure using native tissue alone.