01X50Z6
Transfer Median Nerve to Radial Nerve with No Device, Open Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | 1 Peripheral Nervous System |
| Operation | X Transfer |
| Body Part | 5 Median Nerve |
| Approach | 0 Open |
| Device | Z No Device |
| Qualifier | 6 Radial Nerve |
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 on the peripheral nervous system move a nerve, still attached to its original blood and nerve supply at one end, to a new location so it can take over the function of a different, nonworking nerve. Nerve transfers are used after severe injuries, such as brachial plexus avulsions, when the original nerve supplying a muscle is damaged beyond repair but a healthy, less critical nerve nearby can be redirected to reinnervate that muscle instead. A common example is transferring a branch of the spinal accessory nerve to the suprascapular nerve to restore shoulder function after a brachial plexus injury.
Because the donor nerve is not cut free entirely but repositioned to connect with a different target, these procedures differ from a graft, which uses a separate, disconnected piece of tissue to bridge a gap. Transfer is chosen specifically when restoring the original damaged nerve directly is not feasible.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Median Nerve
Median nerve transfer typically involves harvesting a redundant motor fascicle, most often the branch to flexor carpi radialis or flexor digitorum superficialis, to reinnervate a target such as the axillary or musculocutaneous nerve in the setting of brachial plexus injury with a functioning median nerve. The median nerve runs centrally through the forearm supplying most flexor-pronator muscles and palmar sensation, so donor fascicle selection must avoid fibers essential to thumb opposition and precision grip. Surgeons rely on preoperative electrodiagnostic mapping and intraoperative nerve stimulation to confirm which fascicles are expendable before transecting and coapting them to the recipient nerve stump. Because the median nerve can also serve as a recipient in other reconstructive patterns, documentation should specify whether it functioned as donor or recipient tissue in the transfer.
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.
Qualifier: Radial Nerve
The Radial Nerve runs along the posterior arm and forearm, controlling wrist and finger extension and supplying sensation to the dorsal hand; injury classically produces wrist drop. As a qualifier it distinguishes this nerve from the median and ulnar nerves, which govern flexor and intrinsic hand function on the volar side of the limb.
Coding & Documentation
The operative note needs to name both the donor nerve being moved and the recipient nerve or muscle it is being connected to, since the body part value coded reflects the nerve being transferred, not the target. A frequent coding error is mistaking a nerve transfer for a nerve graft repair; the distinguishing detail is whether the donor nerve retains its native blood supply and proximal attachment (Transfer) or is a free segment used to bridge a gap in a different nerve (Repair or Replacement). Coders should also check whether the transferred nerve is being coapted directly to the recipient nerve or routed through a graft, which can mean an additional code is warranted.