# Chondroplasty PCS- repair or excision?



## rachel.bates (Apr 14, 2016)

Hello everyone!  
I am taking the General PCS code set online program and one of my practice questions is a chondroplasty. I read through the report and selected the root operation "excision".  But my answer sheet coded it to "repair".  Can anyone explain how and where I went wrong with my thinking?  Example OP note is below. Thanks in advance!


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## AlanPechacek (Apr 17, 2016)

*Chondroplasty*

The term "Chondroplasty" refers to the treatment of an articular cartilage lesion (chondromalacia or other articular cartilage tear or defect such as described in the Operative Report) by removal of the damaged cartilage, and usually with some "cleaning up" or "smoothing and stabilizing" the cartilage around the margins of the lesion.  In the knee, as in this case, and done alone, the code is 29877. 

Respectfully submitted, Alan Pechacek, M.D.


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## CodingKing (Apr 18, 2016)

Looking back at the medical terminology class I never finished, The suffix -o/plasty means surgical repair. I'm thinking that's the best way to look at it. Forget what is actually done during the procedure and stick  with the word part meanings. Although I'm not sure if the same applies all through PCS as I don't start my PCS training until next week.


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## CodingKing (Apr 24, 2016)

OK, i took my PCS 101 boot camp so my reasoning has changed. While it may involve "excising" a piece of cartilage, the ultimate goal of the procedure is to "repair" the cartilage.


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## mitchellde (Apr 24, 2016)

If your read the operative report carefully you should see that it was not the cartilage that was removed but the fraying and delamination was removed to repair the cartilage and make it perform without restriction.  This is a chondroplasty.  The term chondroplasty does mean literally a repair of the cartilage.


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## CodingKing (Apr 24, 2016)

In PCS Repair = Restoring, to the extent possible, a body part to its normal anatomic structure and function.


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