Magnetic compression anastomosis for benign obstruction of the common bile duct

Advances in interventional radiology have made possible magnetic compression anastomosis between the bile duct and the small intestine as a novel treatment. A 70-year-old man who had undergone subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer 2 years previously experienced recurring cholangitis with high fever and jaundice. Diagnostic evaluation subsequently demonstrated complete obstruction of the common bile duct which was attributed to recurrent cholangitis. A parent magnet was placed endoscopically into the afferent loop of the duodenum through the gastrojejunostomy with Billroth II reconstruction. The daughter magnet attached to a guide wire was placed in the obstructed common bile duct through a percutaneous transhepatic cholangiographic drainage tube. Two magnets were immediately attracted towards each other transmurally, and anastomosis was established on day 32 after the procedure. This novel method of magnetic compression anastomosis has the advantages of noninvasiveness and simplicity, as well as being a well-tolerated procedure for indications such as biliary obstruction.