Salvage cystic duct anastomosis using a magnetic compression technique for incomplete bile duct reconstruction in living donor liver transplantation

In living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), bile duct reconstruction is often technically demanding due to the frequently anomalous anatomy of the bile duct, as well as the high incidence of biliary complications. A bile duct branch may also be accidentally left without anastomosis at the time of LDLT and found to be obstructed after surgery. Surgical revision for such cases is sometimes not feasible because of the invasiveness of the procedure. We report a case in which a bile duct branch was intentionally left without anastomosis and was later successfully anastomosed to the cystic duct stump using a magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA) technique. A combination of the MCA technique and cystic duct anastomosis is life-saving in certain situations and should be considered as the treatment of choice.