Total Pancreactectomy with Islet Autotransplant Failure: Now What?

Abstract Total pancreatectomy with islet cell autotransplant (TPIAT) is a definitive therapeutic approach to pain management for patients with chronic pancreatitis that is non-responsive to maximum medical management. Total pancreatectomy (TP) results in brittle diabetes unless islet cell autotransplant (IAT) is concomitantly performed. Even with IAT, about 30 % of patients will require long-term basal-bolus insulin therapy due to significant endocrine insufficiency. The focus of this review is on the utility of whole organ pancreas transplantation toward improving quality of life, and decreasing the risk of mortality and overall cost of care for the subset of patients who experience endocrine and exocrine deficiency after pancreatic resection.
Source: Current Transplantation Reports - Category: Transplant Surgery Source Type: research