A group of South Korean doctors say they have successfully cured diabetes by removing part of a patient’s small intestine.

The group led by Doctor Heo Yoon-suk of Inha University Hospital said that after the removal of the duodenum, the blood sugar level of the nonobese diabetic patient in her fifties dropped to the normal range. The team later confirmed the disease was completely cured.

Heo said the group will publish the results in medical journals and review whether the duodenectomy procedure can become a standard treatment for diabetes in nonobese patients.