Table 3.
Published surgical applications of magnetic devices.
| Core Function | Type of Magnet System |
Use of Magnet System | Example of Devices Approved for Humanitarian or Commercial Use | Published Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS | Electromagnetic tube/catheter tip and external receiver unit |
Real-time transmission of nasoenteric tube location during placement | CORTRAK Enteral Access System (Avanos Medical, Inc., Alpharetta, Georgia, USA) | Mathus-Vliegen 2010 [26], Smithard 2015 [27], an McCutcheon 2017 [28] |
| Real-time transmission of peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) location during placement |
Sherlock 3CG Tip Confirmation System (Becton, Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA) |
Tomaszewski 2017 [29], Mack 2020 [30], and Sone 2020 [31] | ||
| Paired intravascular magnetic catheter tips |
Mating of catheter tips aligns as well as holds an artery and vein together for percutaneous arteriovenous fistula creation | everlinQ endoAVF System (Becton, Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA) |
Lok 2017 [32] | |
| NC | Magnetic compression anastomosis between two paired intraluminal magnets (spherical, discoid, ring, and cylindrical) |
Connecting two small intestine segments |
Xu 2015 [33] | |
| Connecting two enteric segments (e.g., stomach, small intestine, and colon) | Magnamosis Magnetic Compression Anastomosis Device (Myka Labs, UCSF Surgical Innovations, San Francisco, CA, USA) | Cope 1995 [34], Chopita 2005 [35], Jamshidi 2009 [36], Myers 2010 [37], Pichakron 2011 [38], Gonzales 2012 [39], Wall 2013 [40], Russell 2014 [41], and Graves 2017 [42] |
||
| Connecting the proximal intestine to the distal intestine to create a bypass channel (i.e., bariatric surgery) |
Self-Forming Magnetic Anastomosis Device (GI Windows Surgical, West Bridgewater, MA, USA) | Ryou 2016 [43], Machytka 2017 [44], Schlottman 2021 [45], Gumustop 2022 [46], and Ore 2022 [47,48] | ||
| Connecting the proximal and distal esophageal pouches in esophageal atresia (congenital disorder) |
Magnamosis Connect-EA (Myka Labs, UCSF Surgical Innovations, San Francisco, CA, USA); Flourish Pediatric Esophageal Atresia Device (Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN, USA) |
Zaritzky 2009 [49], Zaritzky 2014 [50], Dorman 2016 [51], Slater 2019 [52], Muensterer 2020 [53], Wolfe 2020 [54], Muensterer 2021 [55], and Evans 2022 [56] | ||
| Connecting the bile duct to the stomach or small intestine to bypass bile duct stricture | Mimuro 2003 [57], Muraoka 2005 [58], Matsuno 2009 [59], and Jang 2020 [60] | |||
| Resecting a strictured esophagus, small intestine, bile duct, or colon to allow luminal contents to pass through | Takamizawa 2007 [61], Woo 2017 [62], Kamada 2020 [63], Isozaki 2020 [64], Liu 2020 [65], Kılıç 2020 [66], and Liu 2022 [67] |
|||
| Paired intravascular magnetic ports |
Creation of anastomosis between two blood vessels (e.g., coronary artery bypass surgery) |
Magnetic Vascular Positioner (MVP) Series 6000 Distal Anastomosis System (Ventrica, Inc., Fremont, CA, USA) | Falk 2003 [68], Klima 2003 [69], Klima 2004 [70], Wong 2004 [71], Athanasiou 2004 [72], Falk 2005 [73], Vicol 2005 [74], Klima 2006 [75], Vicol 2006 [76], and Charitou 2006 [77] | |
| PHYS | Magnetic beads interlinked with titanium wires to form a flexible ring |
Placed around the distal esophagus to recreate a physiologic lower esophageal sphincter in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) |
LINX (Torax Medical, Inc., Shoreview, MN, USA) | Lipham 2012 [78], Ganz 2013 [79], Bonavina 2013 [80], Smith 2014 [81], Bauer 2015 [82], Saino 2015 [83], Aiolfi 2018 [84], and Bell 2020 [85] |
| Placed around the external anal sphincter to recreate physiologic sphincter function in fecal incontinence | FENIX Continence Restoration System (Torax Medical, Inc., Shoreview, MN, USA) | Bortolotti 2008 [86], Lehur 2010 [87], Barussaud 2013 [88], and Jayne 2021 [89] | ||
| Paired flat magnets | Placed anterior and posterior to the urethra to recreate urethral resistance in urinary incontinence |
Ali-El-Dein 2000 [90] | ||
| IE | Detachable internal magnetic grasper controlled by an external magnet |
Retraction of the gallbladder during cholecystectomy | Levita Magnetic Surgical System (Levita Magnetics, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, USA) | Dominguez 2009 [91], Rivas 2018 [92], and Haskins 2018 [93] |
| Retraction of the liver, stomach, or omentum during bariatric surgery |
Morales-Conde 2013 [94], Rahman 2017 [95], and Davis 2019 [96] | |||
| Internal ureteral stent with a distal magnetic tip | Bedside removal of a stent by mating an internal stent tip with an introduced urethral magnetic catheter retrieval device | Magnetic Blackstar (Urovision-Urotech, Achenmuhle, Germany) |
Rassweiler 2017 [97], Sevcenco 2018 [98] | |
| Implanted magnet and custom-fitted external brace with a paired magnet | Gradual chest wall remodeling in the pectus excavatum (congenital disorder) | Magnetic Mini-Mover (3MP): Magnimplant and Magnatract (Hayes Manufacturing, Sunnyvale, CA and Hantel Technologies, Hayward, CA, USA) |
Harrison 2007 [25], Harrison 2010 [99], Harrison 2012 [100], and Graves 2017 [101] | |
| Hyoid bone advancement to maintain airway patency during sleep in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) | Magnetic Apnea Prevention Device (Mag-Nap) (Mag-Nap, Inc., UCSF Surgical Innovations, San Francisco, CA, USA) | Rosenbluth 2011 [102] | ||
| Implanted distractable spinal rods with a magnetic lengthening mechanism driven by external magnetic remote control |
Non-invasive spinal adjustment allows for the growth of a child with early onset scoliosis (congenital disorder) |
MAGEC System (NuVasive, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA) | Cheung 2012 [103], Jenks 2014 [104], Lorenz 2017 [105], Subramanian 2018 [106], Oetgen 2019 [107], Harshavardhana 2019 [108], and Guan 2020 [109] |
GS (guidance system), NC (creating new connection), PHYS (recreating physiologic function), IE (internal–external paired system).