ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0TR487Z

Replacement Kidney Pelvis, Left to No Qualifier with Autologous Tissue Substitute, Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemT Urinary System
OperationR Replacement
Body Part4 Kidney Pelvis, Left
Approach8 Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic
Device7 Autologous 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 put in biological or synthetic material that physically takes over for all or part of a urinary structure that has been removed or has failed. The clearest example is placement of an artificial urinary sphincter to manage stress incontinence, or use of a segment of bowel or synthetic material to reconstruct the bladder after part of it has been taken out.

These procedures are chosen when native tissue can no longer perform its job and a substitute - whether a manufactured device or tissue moved from elsewhere in the body - is put in its place. Candidates include patients recovering from bladder cancer surgery, those with severe incontinence unresponsive to other treatments, or people whose urethra has been damaged beyond simple repair.

Because the replaced material functions in place of the original structure going forward, these procedures are usually more involved and longer-lasting in their effect than repair or reposition.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Kidney Pelvis, Left

Replacement of the left kidney pelvis means excising the damaged or diseased collecting chamber and substituting it with autologous tissue, most often an interposed bowel segment, or with biologic or synthetic material, used when scarring, chronic obstruction, or extensive injury make direct repair inadequate to restore urine flow. This differs from a straightforward suture repair in that native pelvic tissue is actually removed and replaced rather than reconstructed in place. Given the left kidney's proximity to the spleen and colon, surgical planning must account for these neighboring structures when harvesting or routing replacement tissue. As with any pelvis reconstruction, maintaining a wide, dependent drainage pathway into the ureter is essential to prevent recurrent hydronephrosis, and documentation should confirm that tissue substitution, not simple closure, was performed.

Approach: Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic

Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic describes instrumentation introduced through a natural orifice or a surgically created opening while using an endoscope for visualization, as in a routine colonoscopy performed through the anus. It differs from the plain Via Natural or Artificial Opening value by the added scope, and from Percutaneous Endoscopic by using an existing passage rather than a new skin puncture.

Device: Autologous Tissue Substitute

Autologous Tissue Substitute identifies a device value where material harvested from the patient's own body, such as an autograft, is used to replace or reconstruct a body part. Its defining feature is tissue origin from the patient, setting it apart from Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, sourced from a donor or animal, and Synthetic Substitute, made of manufactured material.

Coding & Documentation

Documentation must show that material - whether a device, donor tissue, or the patient's own tissue harvested from elsewhere - was put in to functionally substitute for the body part, not just reinforce or patch it. The note should identify the material used and confirm that any diseased or damaged native tissue was removed first, since Replacement often follows a Resection or Excision performed in the same operative session.

A common coding mistake is applying Replacement when the correct root operation is actually Supplement, which reinforces existing tissue without taking over its function entirely. Coders also sometimes overlook that bladder augmentation using a bowel segment qualifies as Replacement because it uses tissue to take over bladder function, and instead code it only as the harvesting procedure.

Commonly Confused With

SupplementReplacement is frequently mixed up with Supplement, where the added material reinforces a body part that still performs its own function, versus Replacement where the material substitutes for the part entirely.
RepairIt is also distinct from Repair, which restores native anatomy without introducing substitute material, and from Insertion, which places a device to assist a still-functioning body part rather than to take its place.