Current indications for pancreas or islet transplant

Abstract

Pancreas or islet transplantation can provide good glycaemic control and insulin independence. Pancreas transplantation has been associated with improvement in diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy and vasculopathy, but has the associated morbidity of major surgery. Both forms of therapy require long-term immunosuppression and its attendant risks and both achieve insulin independence rates of about 80% at 1 year. Pancreas transplantation at the same time as a renal transplant is a worthwhile option to employ, especially if the diabetes has been difficult to control. Diabetes associated with frequent severe hypoglycaemia or extreme lability, despite optimization of diabetes management, may benefit from either pancreas or islet transplant alone with the latter being the lower-risk procedure. More quantitative measures of hypoglycaemia and lability are now available to facilitate the assessment of the severity of these problems with glucose control. Diabetic patients with renal involvement (macroproteinuria, but no major elevation of creatinine) and unstable diabetes may be helped with an islet or pancreas transplant, but this approach should still be considered experimental and such a transplant may hasten the need for renal replacement therapy. In the setting of well-controlled diabetes and intact renal function, it is difficult to justify pancreas or islet transplant alone given the risks of immunosuppression.