First-in-World Use of 8mm Magnets to Treat Recurrent Biliary Stricture via Endoscopic and Percutaneous Delivery

Vamsi K. Aribindi, MD; Mustafa Arain, MD; Kanti P. Kolli, MD; Veeshal H. Patel, MD; Phillip Kim, MD; Alexandru T. Balus; Rebecca C. Gologorsky, MD; Eric K. Nakakura, MD, PhD, FACS; Michael Harrison, MD, FACS

Product Details
Product ID: ACS-5789
Year Produced: 2019
Length: 7 min.


In this video, a 70 year old male underwent placement of magnets for treatment of a biliary stricture, which is a technique that has been reported several times in the medical literature. This patient previously had a pancreaticoduodenectomy for IPMN, and subsequently developed a stricture at the hepaticojejunostomy site. Repeated endoscopic and percutaneous attempts at dilation failed for over 1 year. Repeat surgery was high risk due to an insertion of the right posterior sectoral duct at the anastomotic site. FDA compassionate use authorization was obtained for the use of 8mm magnets developed for pediatric esophageal atresia, as yet untested in humans. Percutaneously, the biliary drain tract was dilated to 14mm to accommodate one magnet on the biliary side of the stricture, and the magnet itself was deployed using an improvised system consisting of a Roth net through a sheath. Endoscopically, another magnet was deployed using a Roth net through a scope. The magnets initially aligned, but the enteric magnet was drawn through the stricture into biliary side when the biliary magnet was released. This happened again with deployment of a second enteric magnet, when a wire crossing the hepaticojejunostomy was withdrawn into the liver and the friction and magnetic force drew all three magnets into the biliary side. A fourth magnet was deployed, and this was confirmed to be in good position. The patient was discharged home with falling bilirubin, with creation of a new hepaticojejunostomy expected to take 1-2 weeks. Follow-up is pending.