Pancreas transplantation

Abstract

The number of pancreas transplants being performed and the success rate have continued to increase. Most pancreas transplants have been placed in diabetic recipients of kidney transplants, but application to nonuremic, non-kidney transplant recipients without end-stage disease is increasing. Drainage of pancreatic graft duct into the bladder allows exocrine function to be assessed directly and has led to earlier diagnosis and treatment of rejection episodes. The improvement in graft survival rates has been associated with the use of cyclosporine in combination with other immunosuppressants. The effect that establishment of a euglycemic state by successful pancreas transplantation has on the specific complications of diabetes is just beginning to be discerned but appears to be favorable if the transplant is performed sufficiently early in the course of the disease.