ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0MXN0ZZ

Transfer Knee Bursa and Ligament, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Open Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemM Bursae and Ligaments
OperationX Transfer
Body PartN Knee Bursa and Ligament, Right
Approach0 Open
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Moving, without taking out, all or a portion of a body part to another location to take over the function of all or a portion of a body part

Procedure Overview

Transfer procedures in this family move a bursa or ligament, or a portion of one, from its native location to a new site so it can take over the mechanical job normally performed by a different structure, without detaching its original blood and nerve supply. This is most often seen in tendon transfer surgery involving ligamentous tissue used to restore function after nerve injury, chronic tendon rupture, or joint instability where the original stabilizing structure can no longer do its job.

Because the tissue stays connected to its native blood supply, these procedures differ from a graft, which is fully detached and moved elsewhere. Surgeons choose this approach when a nearby ligament or bursal structure is healthy enough to be rerouted and can plausibly substitute for a damaged one, offering better long-term durability than an artificial replacement in select patients.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Knee Bursa and Ligament, Right

The right knee's bursae and ligaments, including the patellar tendon-associated bursae and collateral or capsular ligamentous tissue outside the formal cruciate structures, cushion the joint and help distribute load across the tibiofemoral articulation. A Transfer procedure repositions a segment of this tissue, kept on its native vascular pedicle, to reinforce a nearby structure, such as augmenting extensor mechanism stability or supporting patellar tracking after injury. The knee's dense concentration of nerves, vessels, and synovial recesses close to these bursae requires precise dissection to avoid disrupting joint lubrication or nearby neurovascular structures. Coding should note right-sided laterality as the source and identify the qualifier body part receiving the transferred tissue, since this differs from procedures that simply repair the ligament without relocation.

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

A code from this family applies when documentation clearly shows tissue being rerouted to a new location while remaining attached to its vascular pedicle, with the explicit intent of taking over another structure's function. The operative report should name both the origin site and the new destination, along with the functional deficit being addressed. Coders frequently misassign these cases as Transplantation, which requires the tissue to be completely freed from its original site, or as Repair, when the surgeon has simply reattached tissue back to its original position rather than relocating it to serve a new purpose.

Commonly Confused With

TransplantationThe closest source of confusion is Transplantation, distinguished only by whether the vascular supply is preserved (Transfer) or severed and reestablished at the new site (Transplantation).
ReattachmentReattachment is another frequent mix-up, used when a structure is put back in its original anatomic location rather than moved to substitute for a different one.