ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0VTH4ZZ

Resection Spermatic Cords, Bilateral to No Qualifier with No Device, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemV Male Reproductive System
OperationT Resection
Body PartH Spermatic Cords, Bilateral
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 procedures remove an entire body part of the male reproductive system without replacing it with other material. Orchiectomy - removal of one or both testes - is the most common example, performed for testicular cancer, as part of treatment for advanced prostate cancer, for severe trauma, or occasionally for chronic pain or infection unresponsive to other treatment. Other resection procedures in this family include removal of the entire epididymis or complete removal of the prostate and seminal vesicles.

These are typically definitive procedures aimed at eliminating diseased or damaged tissue rather than preserving it. Because the organ is removed in full, resection often has permanent effects on fertility and hormone production, which is part of why patients considering these procedures discuss options like sperm banking or hormone replacement beforehand.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Spermatic Cords, Bilateral

Bilateral resection of the spermatic cords removes both cords in their entirety, including the paired vasa deferentia, testicular vessels, and cremasteric fascia bundles that suspend and supply each testis. This extent of surgery is uncommon and is generally reserved for bilateral malignancy involving the cord structures or for radical procedures where high ligation on both sides is clinically indicated, since removal of both cords ends testicular blood supply and reproductive continuity on each side. Documentation should clearly establish that both cords were taken completely rather than treated separately at different operative sessions, since a single bilateral body part value applies only when both structures are addressed in the same procedure; staged unilateral resections are coded individually instead.

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

Coders assigning Resection need pathology or operative documentation confirming the entire organ was removed, not just a portion. A frequent error is coding Resection when only a partial excision was performed, such as a partial orchiectomy for a small testicular mass with preservation of remaining tissue - that scenario belongs under Excision instead. Laterality also matters: unilateral versus bilateral orchiectomy uses different body part values, and the note should state clearly whether one or both testes were removed.

Commonly Confused With

ExcisionResection is most often confused with Excision, where only part of the organ is cut out - the dividing line is whether any of the structure remains.
ReplacementIt also differs from Replacement, which follows removal with insertion of a prosthetic device; when a testicular implant is placed after orchiectomy, both the Resection and the separate Replacement should typically be captured.