ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

08TR0ZZ

Resection Lower Eyelid, Left to No Qualifier with No Device, Open Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body System8 Eye
OperationT Resection
Body PartR Lower Eyelid, Left
Approach0 Open
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

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

Procedure Overview

Resection procedures in the eye involve cutting out an entire body part without replacing it, most notably enucleation of the globe for conditions such as intraocular tumors, severe trauma, or a blind and painful eye, and evisceration or excision of other complete ocular structures like the lacrimal gland. These are definitive, irreversible procedures reserved for situations where a structure is diseased beyond salvage or poses an ongoing risk, such as malignancy or infection, that outweighs any benefit of preserving it.

Because Resection removes an entire body part rather than a portion of it, these procedures carry significant functional and cosmetic consequences, and they are typically followed by reconstructive or prosthetic planning as a separate consideration. The decision to resect is made only after other treatment options have been exhausted or are not viable given the severity of the underlying condition.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Lower Eyelid, Left

The left lower eyelid performs the same protective and lacrimal drainage roles as the right, cupping the inferior punctum and supporting the tear film, and resection of this structure is generally undertaken to remove malignant or extensively damaged tissue that cannot be treated by simple excision or lesion destruction. Because the lower lid's margin integrity is essential to prevent exposure keratopathy and because it sags more readily than the upper lid with age or scarring, surgeons removing a segment here must weigh the resulting defect against reconstructive options planned separately. Coding this procedure requires confirming that a defined anatomical portion of the eyelid was taken in its entirety, as opposed to more conservative interventions like lesion excision, cauterization, or partial-thickness biopsy that do not qualify as resection.

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 assign Resection when the documentation confirms complete removal of an entire named body part, such as the whole eyeball in enucleation or the entire lacrimal gland, distinguishing it from partial excision procedures that would be coded as Excision instead. The operative note must clearly state that the entire structure was removed, not merely a lesion or portion of it, and coders need to identify the precise qualifying body part being resected.

A common error is applying Resection to biopsy or partial tumor excision cases where only a lesion or segment of tissue was removed, which actually falls under Excision; another is confusing enucleation, evisceration, and exenteration, three distinct eye removal procedures with different anatomic scope that require careful reading of the operative report to code correctly.

Commonly Confused With

ExcisionResection is frequently confused with Excision, since both involve cutting tissue out, but Excision applies to removal of only a portion of a body part while Resection requires removal of the entire structure.
RepositionIt is also distinguished from Reposition, since strabismus surgery colloquially called muscle "resection" does not meet the PCS definition of Resection because the muscle remains attached at a new site rather than being entirely removed.