ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0LS90ZZ

Reposition Trunk Tendon, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Open Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemL Tendons
OperationS Reposition
Body Part9 Trunk Tendon, Right
Approach0 Open
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Moving to its normal location, or other suitable location, all or a portion of a body part

Procedure Overview

Reposition procedures move a tendon, or a portion of one, from its usual anatomic location to a different, often more favorable, position while keeping the tendon otherwise intact. Tendon transfer surgery is the most familiar example, where a functioning tendon is detached from its original insertion and reattached elsewhere to restore movement lost to nerve injury, muscle imbalance, or paralysis, such as transferring a wrist tendon to substitute for a paralyzed finger extensor.

These procedures are also used to correct tendons that have slipped out of their normal groove or track, such as a dislocating peroneal tendon at the ankle, where the tendon is surgically returned to and stabilized within its proper anatomic channel. The underlying goal is always to change the tendon's position or course, not to repair damage to the tendon tissue itself, though repair of associated damage may be documented in the same operative session.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Trunk Tendon, Right

Trunk tendons on the right side include the fibrous attachments of muscles such as latissimus dorsi, serratus posterior, and quadratus lumborum, which anchor the trunk wall and assist posture, respiration, and spinal stabilization. Reposition procedures move these tendons to a new anatomic attachment without excising the tendon tissue itself, most often as part of a tendon transfer to compensate for paralyzed or absent muscle function following brachial plexus injury, poliomyelitis sequelae, or thoracic trauma. Because trunk tendons are broad and sheet-like rather than cord-like, surgeons frequently secure the relocated tissue with suture anchors or through bone tunnels, and documentation should specify the originating muscle and the new insertion site, since coding depends on the tendon's identity rather than the muscle belly it serves.

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 should look for clear language describing detachment from one anatomic location and reattachment or rerouting to another, distinguishing this from procedures that merely repair a tendon in its native position. The documentation should specify both the origin and destination of the moved tendon segment, since body part values are assigned based on the tendon's location, and transfers can span values if the tendon moves between defined body regions.

A frequent error is confusing tendon transfer with muscle transfer coding when a musculotendinous unit is moved, since the correct body system and root operation depend on whether the objective and documentation center on the tendon or the muscle component. Coders should also avoid double-coding a repair of tendon fraying at the transfer site as a separate procedure when it is an inherent part of the reposition itself.

Commonly Confused With

RepairReposition is most often confused with Repair, since a transferred tendon is also sutured into its new location; the key distinction is that Repair restores a tendon to its own original site, while Reposition intentionally relocates it elsewhere.
TransferIt can also be confused with Transfer procedures coded to the Muscles body system when the primary moving structure is muscle tissue with the tendon simply following along, so the operative note's emphasis determines the correct body system.