Gangnam Severance Achieves 102 Cases of Self-Compression Anastomosis Over 10 Years

The Nation's First Procedure Using Magnets to Unblock Bile Ducts... Success Rate 93%

Bile duct X-ray and endoscopic images showing the self-expanding anastomosis procedure applied to a patient with bile duct stricture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Yonsei University Gangnam Severance Hospital announced on the 17th that the Department of Gastroenterology professors Donggi Lee and Sungil Jang, along with the Department of Radiology professors Kwanghoon Lee and Seungmoon Joo, have achieved 102 cases over 10 years since successfully performing Korea's first 'Magnetic Compression Anastomosis (MCA)' in 2007, a procedure using magnets to open blocked bile ducts.

Magnetic Compression Anastomosis is a procedure in which, when bile duct stenosis occurs, a passage for the magnet is secured, and the magnets are positioned on the anastomosis site and its opposite side so that the tissue between the magnets undergoes continuous pressure, leading to necrosis and separation.

When bile duct stenosis occurs, bile excretion becomes difficult, causing bile stagnation and increasing the risk of complications such as jaundice and infection. The professor team performed Magnetic Compression Anastomosis on 102 patients with benign biliary strictures who showed symptoms of bile duct stenosis after liver transplantation surgery (79 patients) and other biliary surgeries (23 patients), but for whom conventional treatments such as surgery or interventional radiology were difficult to apply. As a result, 95 patients (93%) had their blocked bile ducts opened and restored to normal function.

Professor Donggi Lee of the Department of Gastroenterology said, “Gangnam Severance Hospital was not only the first in Korea to perform Magnetic Compression Anastomosis but is also currently the only institution capable of performing this procedure,” adding, “Based on our extensive procedural experience, we will do our best through international lectures and research papers to help patients suffering from bile duct stenosis worldwide.”

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