MIOT Chennai doctors use magnets to clear blocked bile duct in Kyrgyzstan patient

Doctors at MIOT International in Chennai have successfully treated a 43-year-old female liver transplant patient from Kyrgyzstan by clearing a completely blocked bile duct using a rare non-surgical magnetic procedure. The medical team used magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA) to restore bile flow, successfully avoiding a complex and risky repeat surgery.

The patient had undergone a living donor liver transplant in 2025. One year later, in 2026, she developed itching and jaundice. Upon evaluation at the hospital, doctors discovered a complete bile duct blockage that prevented the normal flow of bile from her liver. If left untreated, the condition could have caused life-threatening complications, including severe infection, sepsis, and transplant failure.

According to Dr. Karthik Mathivanan, Programme Director of the Department of Liver and Multi-Organ Transplant and HPB Surgeon, bile duct strictures occur in up to 42 percent of living donor liver transplant recipients. While most cases are managed with endoscopic stenting or percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage, this patient's bile duct was completely sealed. Doctors were unable to cross the blockage or place a stent despite multiple attempts.

To avoid a major repeat surgery, a multidisciplinary team comprising the liver transplant team, interventional radiologists, therapeutic endoscopists, and anaesthesiologists opted for the MCA procedure. The technique is currently used in only a few medical centres in South Korea and Japan.

During the procedure, a gastroenterologist placed one magnet through an endoscope from inside the intestine, while an interventional radiologist introduced a second magnet through an existing external drainage tract. Placed on either side of the blocked duct, the magnets gradually attracted each other, compressing and clearing the scar tissue between them.

Dr. Karthikeyan Damodaran, Director of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, stated that the magnets' positions were monitored via X-ray after one week. Two weeks later, the block was fully cleared, and a stent was placed to maintain normal bile flow.

MIOT International Chairman Mallika Mohandas and Palaniappan S., senior medical gastroenterologist, hepatologist, and interventional endoscopist, were also present for the announcement of the successful treatment.