0LTW4ZZ
Resection Foot Tendon, Left to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | L Tendons |
| Operation | T Resection |
| Body Part | W Foot Tendon, Left |
| Approach | 4 Percutaneous Endoscopic |
| Device | Z No Device |
| Qualifier | Z No Qualifier |
Operation Definition
Cutting out or off, without replacement, all of a body part
Procedure Overview
Resection removes an entire tendon, or a clearly defined tendon body part, without putting in any replacement material. This is a less common tendon procedure than repair or reposition, and it is typically performed when a tendon is so severely diseased, degenerated, or tumor-involved that removing it entirely is the safest or most effective option, rather than attempting to preserve and repair it.
Examples include excising a tendon segment infiltrated by a soft tissue tumor, removing a chronically diseased tendon that is causing ongoing pain and dysfunction with no reasonable prospect of repair, or excising an entire tendon as part of managing a severe infection that has destroyed the tissue. Because tendons connect muscle to bone, complete resection without any subsequent reconstruction can leave a functional deficit, so it is often paired with a separate reconstructive procedure, sometimes performed later, to restore movement.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Foot Tendon, Left
The left foot's tendons, mirroring the right, guide toe extension, flexion, and hindfoot stability across the ankle and midfoot. Resection is performed when a tendon is irreparably torn, chronically degenerated, or involved by a tumor, and the surgeon elects to remove the entire structure rather than repair it. Given the density of neurovascular bundles and the limited gliding space within the foot, resecting a tendon here often necessitates immediate reconstruction with a tendon transfer to maintain functional balance and prevent contracture or deformity of the toes. Documentation should specify laterality and the exact tendon involved, since adjacent tendons such as the flexor hallucis longus or peroneus brevis have distinct roles and are coded separately if also treated.
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.
Coding & Documentation
This root operation applies only when an entire named tendon body part, not merely a segment or the whole tendon down to its full anatomic extent, is being cut out and nothing biological or synthetic is placed to take its structural role. Coders should confirm the operative note describes complete excision of the tendon at that body part value, and check whether any reconstructive graft was placed at the same time, since combined excision and grafting is coded as Replacement instead.
A common assignment mistake is applying Resection when only part of a tendon was removed and the remaining tendon was repaired or trimmed, which should instead be coded as Excision or Repair depending on the amount and intent of tissue removed. Coders should also watch for tumor cases where a wider excision spans tendon and adjacent soft tissue, which may require coding to more than one body system.