ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) code group 0KB4 includes procedures performed to excise portions of muscle tissue in the tongue, palate, or pharynx. These ICD-10-PCS codes are used for inpatient documentation when a surgeon removes part of the muscular tissue of the tongue, palate, or pharynx for treatment of lesions, obstruction, or other pathology. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-PCS 0KB4 group is essential for proper inpatient reimbursement, as it captures the specific excision performed and supports clinical documentation accuracy.

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Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle Excision Procedure Overview

This procedure group includes excision procedures that remove a portion of muscle tissue in the tongue, palate, or pharynx and targets the muscular body system. These operations involve cutting out or off without replacement portions of muscle to treat lesions, reduce obstructive tissue, or address other pathology. Accurate coding of these excisions is important for inpatient reimbursement because it documents the exact surgical action and anatomical site, which affects case mix and payment.

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
0	Section	Medical and Surgical
K	Body System	Muscles
B	Operation	Excision
4	Body Part	Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle

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ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

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Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle Excision Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

Character	ICD-10-PCS Category	Code Group Details
0	Section	Medical and Surgical
K	Body System	Muscles
B	Operation	Excision
4	Body Part	Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle

When to Use

Use a code from this group when a portion of tongue, palate, or pharyngeal muscle is surgically excised without replacement during an inpatient stay. These codes apply when the operative report documents removal of muscular tissue in these locations for reasons such as lesion removal or relief of obstruction.

ICD-10-PCS Codes

6 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
0KB40ZX	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Open Approach, Diagnostic
0KB40ZZ	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Open Approach
0KB43ZX	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Approach, Diagnostic
0KB43ZZ	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Approach
0KB44ZX	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach, Diagnostic
0KB44ZZ	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

DRG Codes

22 rows

DRG Code	Description
040	Peripheral, Cranial Nerve and Other Nervous System Procedures with MCC
041	Peripheral, Cranial Nerve and Other Nervous System Procedures with CC or Peripheral Neurostimulator
042	Peripheral, Cranial Nerve and Other Nervous System Procedures without CC/MCC
264	Other Circulatory System O.R. Procedures
500	Soft Tissue Procedures with MCC
501	Soft Tissue Procedures with CC
502	Soft Tissue Procedures without CC/MCC
579	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures with MCC
580	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures with CC
581	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures without CC/MCC

Showing 1–10 of 22

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An adult presents urgently with severe oropharyngeal bleeding and an expanding hematoma after traumatic laceration of the tongue and floor of mouth that compromises airway patency; the patient is admitted for airway protection and the surgeon performs an open excision of devitalized tongue muscle to control bleeding and remove nonviable tissue. Typical codes: 0KB40ZZ
A middle-aged patient with obstructive sleep-disordered breathing due to hypertrophic soft palate and lateral pharyngeal muscle redundancy undergoes a planned inpatient surgical excision of portions of palatal and pharyngeal muscle via a percutaneous endoscopic approach to reduce airway obstruction and improve sleep apnea symptoms. Typical codes: 0KB44ZZ
An inpatient with a biopsy-proven focal muscle lesion of the posterior tongue suspicious for malignancy is taken to the operating room for a diagnostic excisional procedure using a percutaneous approach to remove the muscle portion for definitive pathologic diagnosis. Typical codes: 0KB43ZX

Related Codes

0KB0-HEAD-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Head Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB1-FACIAL-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Facial Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB2-NECK-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Neck Muscle Right: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB3-NECK-MUSCLE-LEFT-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Neck Muscle Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB5-SHOULDER-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Shoulder Muscle, Right: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB6-LEFT-SHOULDER-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Left Shoulder Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB7-UPPER-ARM-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Arm Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB8-UPPER-ARM-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Arm Muscle Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB9-LOWER-ARM-AND-WRIST-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Arm And Wrist Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KBB-LEFT-LOWER-ARM-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Arm And Wrist Muscle, Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

Showing 1–10 of 27

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

6 rows

ICD-10-PCS Code	Description
0KB40ZX	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Open Approach, Diagnostic
0KB40ZZ	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Open Approach
0KB43ZX	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Approach, Diagnostic
0KB43ZZ	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Approach
0KB44ZX	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach, Diagnostic
0KB44ZZ	Excision of Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle, Percutaneous Endoscopic Approach

DRG Codes

22 rows

DRG Code	Description
040	Peripheral, Cranial Nerve and Other Nervous System Procedures with MCC
041	Peripheral, Cranial Nerve and Other Nervous System Procedures with CC or Peripheral Neurostimulator
042	Peripheral, Cranial Nerve and Other Nervous System Procedures without CC/MCC
264	Other Circulatory System O.R. Procedures
500	Soft Tissue Procedures with MCC
501	Soft Tissue Procedures with CC
502	Soft Tissue Procedures without CC/MCC
579	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures with MCC
580	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures with CC
581	Other Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue and Breast Procedures without CC/MCC

Showing 1–10 of 22

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An adult presents urgently with severe oropharyngeal bleeding and an expanding hematoma after traumatic laceration of the tongue and floor of mouth that compromises airway patency; the patient is admitted for airway protection and the surgeon performs an open excision of devitalized tongue muscle to control bleeding and remove nonviable tissue. Typical codes: 0KB40ZZ
A middle-aged patient with obstructive sleep-disordered breathing due to hypertrophic soft palate and lateral pharyngeal muscle redundancy undergoes a planned inpatient surgical excision of portions of palatal and pharyngeal muscle via a percutaneous endoscopic approach to reduce airway obstruction and improve sleep apnea symptoms. Typical codes: 0KB44ZZ
An inpatient with a biopsy-proven focal muscle lesion of the posterior tongue suspicious for malignancy is taken to the operating room for a diagnostic excisional procedure using a percutaneous approach to remove the muscle portion for definitive pathologic diagnosis. Typical codes: 0KB43ZX

Related Codes

0KB0-HEAD-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Head Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB1-FACIAL-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Facial Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB2-NECK-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Neck Muscle Right: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB3-NECK-MUSCLE-LEFT-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Neck Muscle Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB5-SHOULDER-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Shoulder Muscle, Right: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB6-LEFT-SHOULDER-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Left Shoulder Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB7-UPPER-ARM-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Arm Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB8-UPPER-ARM-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Upper Arm Muscle Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KB9-LOWER-ARM-AND-WRIST-MUSCLE-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Arm And Wrist Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

0KBB-LEFT-LOWER-ARM-EXCISION

ICD-10-PCS Code For Lower Arm And Wrist Muscle, Left: Procedure Code Group Overview

Showing 1–10 of 27

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle Excision Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-PCS Code For Tongue Palate Pharynx Muscle: Procedure Code Group Overview policy alerts

Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle Excision Procedure Overview

Code Attributes

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-PCS codes are in the Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle excision group?

What is the clinical intent captured by the 0KB4 code group?

Under which ICD-10-PCS section and body system do these codes fall?

How does accurate coding in the 0KB4 group affect inpatient reimbursement?

Which DRG categories might relate to procedures coded from this group?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-PCS Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-PCS codes are in the Tongue, Palate, Pharynx Muscle excision group?

What is the clinical intent captured by the 0KB4 code group?

Under which ICD-10-PCS section and body system do these codes fall?

How does accurate coding in the 0KB4 group affect inpatient reimbursement?

Which DRG categories might relate to procedures coded from this group?

References