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Published on: March 19, 2018
Magnetic gastrointestinal anastomosis in pediatric patients
Mario Zaritzky1, Ricardo Ben2, Krystal Johnston3
1Department of Radiology, The University of Chicago Medicine, Comer Children's Hospital, 5721S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Insights
Minimally invasive magnetic anastomosis was successfully used in 17 patients to treat gastrointestinal (GI) conditions. This novel technique achieved successful GI anastomoses in all cases, offering a promising non-surgical option.
Area of Science:
- Medical Devices
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction, stenosis, and atresia present significant clinical challenges.
- Current treatments may involve invasive surgical procedures with associated risks.
- Developing non-surgical alternatives for GI anastomosis is an area of active research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the feasibility and outcomes of magnetic, non-surgical gastrointestinal (GI) anastomoses.
- To evaluate the efficacy of magnetic compression anastomosis in a cohort of pediatric and adult patients.
- To report on the time to anastomosis and success rates in various GI conditions.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen patients with GI conditions underwent non-surgical anastomosis using magnetic devices.
- Image-guided or endoscopic placement of discoid magnet pairs was employed.
- Catheter-based bullet-shaped magnet pairs were utilized in some cases.
- Treatment targeted conditions including gastric outlet obstruction, rectocolonic stenosis, and esophageal stenosis/atresia.
Main Results:
- Successful anastomosis was achieved in all 17 patients.
- In esophageal atresia (n=9), primary anastomosis occurred in 3-6 days (average 4.2 days) for gaps ≤4 cm.
- Re-anastomosis for refractory esophageal stenosis (n=5) took 3-7 days (average 6 days).
- Anastomosis was achieved in 7 days for gastric outlet obstruction (n=1) and 8-10 days for rectocolonic stenosis (n=2).
Conclusions:
- Minimally invasive magnetic placement is a feasible technique for achieving GI anastomosis.
- This non-surgical approach demonstrated success in all treated patients.
- Magnetic anastomosis offers a promising alternative for managing various GI tract pathologies.
Background/Purpose:
To describe 17 patients who underwent magnetic, non-surgical gastrointestinal (GI) anastomoses.
Methods:
Patients with GI obstruction, stenosis, or atresia were treated with image-guided and/or endoscopically placed discoid magnet pairs or catheter-based bullet-shaped magnet pairs.
Results:
Anastomosis was achieved in 7 days in an 11-year-old with gastric outlet obstruction due to metastatic colon cancer. Anastomosis was achieved in 8 and 10 days in 2 patients (age 2.0 years and 3.4 years) who had rectocolonic stenosis. Re-anastomosis was achieved in an average of 6 days (range 3 to 7 days) in 5 patients (age 6 months to 5.9 years) with severe recurrent postsurgical esophageal stenosis refractory to dilatation. Primary esophageal anastomosis was achieved in an average of 4.2 days (range 3 to 6 days) in 9 patients with esophageal atresia (Type A or Type C surgically converted to Type A) with a gap length of 4 cm or less. The average age of these esophageal atresia patients was 3 months (range 23 days to 5 months).
Conclusion:
Minimally invasive magnet placement was feasible and achieved anastomosis in all patients.
