ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0GTN4ZZ

Resection Inferior Parathyroid Gland, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemG Endocrine System
OperationT Resection
Body PartN Inferior Parathyroid Gland, Right
Approach4 Percutaneous Endoscopic
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Cutting out or off, without replacement, all of a body part

Procedure Overview

Resection in the endocrine system means the complete surgical removal of a gland such as the thyroid, a parathyroid gland, an adrenal gland, or the pituitary, without any replacement structure put in its place. It is one of the most frequently performed procedures in endocrine surgery because so many endocrine conditions, from cancer to hormone-secreting tumors to autoimmune overactivity, are best treated by taking the entire gland out.

Common reasons include thyroid cancer or a large multinodular goiter, Graves' disease that has not responded to medication, a parathyroid adenoma causing hyperparathyroidism, an adrenal tumor such as a pheochromocytoma, or a pituitary tumor removed through the skull base. Because these glands regulate metabolism, blood pressure, calcium balance, and stress hormones, patients undergoing resection typically need lifelong hormone replacement or monitoring afterward, which their care team discusses well before surgery.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Inferior Parathyroid Gland, Right

The right inferior parathyroid gland arises embryologically from the third pharyngeal pouch alongside the thymus, giving it a more variable final position than the superior glands, sometimes found low in the neck or even within the mediastinum. Its resection is undertaken when this particular gland is identified as the source of excess parathyroid hormone, and the surgeon's ability to locate it reliably often depends heavily on preoperative imaging given its anatomic unpredictability. Documentation of laterality and inferior position matters because it distinguishes the procedure from resection of the superior gland or a bilateral exploration, and it signals to other clinicians that only one of the four parathyroid glands was addressed rather than a subtotal or total parathyroidectomy.

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

The operative report must confirm the entire gland was removed, not a lobe, nodule, or partial gland, since a partial removal is coded as excision instead. When a total thyroidectomy is performed in stages or as completion surgery after a prior partial removal, coders need to check whether any residual tissue remained from the earlier operation and code accordingly. A common mistake is coding bilateral adrenalectomy or parathyroidectomy as a single procedure when each gland is a separate body part value requiring its own code. Coders should also watch for cases where a resection is combined with a separate reconstructive or reconstructive-adjacent step, such as autotransplantation of a parathyroid gland fragment, which requires an additional code.

Commonly Confused With

ExcisionExcision is the closest neighbor and is easy to mix up with resection; excision applies when only part of the gland, such as a single lobe or nodule, is taken out, while resection requires the entire gland.
ExtirpationExtirpation, used for removing an abnormal substance like a stone or clot rather than gland tissue itself, is occasionally confused with resection in adrenal or pancreatic procedures.
DestructionDestruction, which eliminates tissue in place with energy such as radiofrequency ablation rather than cutting it out, is also sometimes conflated with resection when a gland is destroyed rather than physically removed.