ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0MRQ4JZ

Replacement Ankle Bursa and Ligament, Right to No Qualifier with Synthetic Substitute, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemM Bursae and Ligaments
OperationR Replacement
Body PartQ Ankle Bursa and Ligament, Right
Approach4 Percutaneous Endoscopic
DeviceJ Synthetic 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 family involve putting in biological or synthetic material to physically stand in for all or part of a damaged bursa or, far more commonly, a ligament. The clearest example is anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, where a torn ACL is removed and replaced with a graft harvested from the patient's own patellar or hamstring tendon, from a donor, or occasionally a synthetic substitute, because the native ligament cannot be sutured back together and heal reliably.

These procedures are performed when a ligament tear is too severe, too chronic, or too central to joint stability for simple suturing to restore function - the knee, shoulder, and elbow are the joints where ligament replacement is most frequently needed. The goal is to give the joint a new structural cable capable of bearing the same mechanical loads as the original ligament, allowing patients to return to sports or daily activity with restored stability. Recovery is longer than for a simple repair, involving staged rehabilitation as the graft incorporates into the surrounding bone.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Ankle Bursa and Ligament, Right

The right ankle's bursae and ligaments include the lateral complex, such as the anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligaments, along with the deltoid ligament medially and associated bursae, structures that stabilize a joint frequently subjected to inversion and eversion stress. Replacement is generally reserved for chronic ligamentous instability following repeated sprains or a severe injury where native tissue is too attenuated for primary repair, using graft or synthetic material to reconstruct the deficient restraint. Because ankle stability depends on the specific ligament involved and its role in resisting a particular direction of stress, accurate identification of the reconstructed structure affects both surgical technique and expected functional outcome. Weight-bearing demands on this joint make precise graft tensioning especially important.

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: Synthetic Substitute

Synthetic Substitute designates a device made from manufactured, non-biologic material, such as mesh or prosthetic components, used to replace or augment a body part. It is distinguished from the two tissue substitute categories by its artificial composition, which carries different considerations for integration and long-term durability than biologic grafts.

Coding & Documentation

Coders assign from this family when documentation clearly states that the native ligament or bursa was removed and a graft or prosthetic material was implanted to take its place - autograft, allograft, and synthetic ligament substitutes all qualify. The operative note should identify the graft source and confirm the original structure was excised rather than left in place. A common assignment error is coding Replacement when the surgeon actually augmented an intact ligament with additional material, which is Supplement; the deciding question is whether the native structure was taken out. Another pitfall is missing the correct body part value when a graft crosses two adjoining structures, such as ACL reconstruction touching both femoral and tibial attachment sites.

Commonly Confused With

SupplementSupplement is the operation most often mixed up with Replacement - Supplement reinforces a ligament that remains largely intact, while Replacement takes the damaged structure out and substitutes new material entirely.
RepairRepair is used instead when the native ligament can simply be sutured back together without any graft material.
ResectionResection differs in that no replacement material is introduced at all; the bursa or ligament is simply excised.