Pancreas Transplantation

The first fruitful pancreatic transplant was carried out by WD Kelly in the year 1966. The results of pancreas transplantation have greatly improved as compared to the first one done in 1966, due to technical improvements and better immunosuppressive therapy over the last three decades. Transplantation of the pancreas is the only near cure treatment for type 1 diabetic patients. After the making of the International Pancreas Transplant Registry in 1984, data on more than 48000 pancreas transplants have been collected in the subsequent 30 years. Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide.  Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease, but in diabetic patients, the metabolic disturbances persist and may get worse even when the kidney alone is transplanted. The only treatment that maintains normal glucose levels and normalizes serum levels of glycosylated hemoglobin in type 1 diabetes patients is the pancreas transplantation. 1 yr and 5 yr results of simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplantation are comparable to the kidney, liver, and heart transplantation.

PMID: 32966009