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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2019. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Dec 16, 2019; 11(12): 548-560
Published online Dec 16, 2019. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v11.i12.548
Endoscopic applications of magnets for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases
Bing Hu, Lian-Song Ye
Bing Hu, Lian-Song Ye, Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Supported by the National Key R&D Program of China, No. 2017YFC0112300, and No. 2017YFC0112305.
Author contributions: All authors equally contributed to this paper with conception and design of the study, literature review and analysis, drafting and critical revision and editing, and final approval of the final version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bing Hu, MD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No 37 Guo Xue Xiang, District Wuhou, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. hubingnj@163.com
Telephone: +86-28-85422522 Fax: +86-28-85423839
Received: March 21, 2019
Peer-review started: March 22, 2019
First decision: August 2, 2019
Revised: August 21, 2019
Accepted: September 11, 2019
Article in press: September 11, 2019
Published online: December 16, 2019
Abstract

Endoscopic treatment of gastrointestinal diseases has developed rapidly in recent years, due to its minimally invasive nature. One of the main contributing factors for this progress is the improvement of endoscopic instruments, which are essential for facilitating safe and effective endoscopic interventions. However, the slow learning curve required in the implementation of many advanced endoscopic procedures using standard devices is associated with a high risk of complications. Other routine procedures may also be complicated by unexpected difficulties. Based on the ferromagnetic properties of many objects, both internal and external magnetic devices have been developed and applied for multiple endoscopic interventions. The applications of magnets, mainly including compression, anchoring and traction, facilitate many difficult procedures and make it feasible to operate procedures that were previously impossible. Other novel endoscopic applications, such as magnetic nanoparticles, are also under development. In this article, we reviewed published studies of endoscopic applications of magnets for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases such as precancerous lesions and cancer, obstruction, stricture, congenital and acquired malformations, motility disorders, and ingestion of foreign bodies. Since several endoscopic applications of magnets may also be relevant to surgery, we included them in this review.

Keywords: Anastomosis, Endoscopes, Endoscopic submucosal dissection, Magnets, Natural orifice endoscopic surgery, Traction

Core tip: Endoscopic applications of internal and external magnets can facilitate or even help develop multiple endoscopic interventions for treating gastrointestinal diseases, by providing compression, anchoring, and traction. This article aims to review therapeutic magnetic technologies, current applications and future developments.