SUCCESS AND COMPLICATIONS OF PANCREATIC TRANSPLANTATION AT ONE INSTITUTION

Objective The authors report the results and complications of the firs t 59 pancreas transplantation procedures performed at one institution. Summary Background Data Pancreas transplantation is performed at rela tively few centers, Results have improved in the past few years. Metho ds A retrospective review was completed of the results and complicatio ns after pancreas transplantation at one institution. Pancreas transpl antation was indicated for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes me llitus and who were younger than 50 years of age. The results were div ided into era I (March 1987-December 1992) and era II (January 1993-Oc tober 1995). Results Fifty-nine transplants were performed since March 1987. There were 45 combined kidney/pancreas transplants and 13 pancr eas transplants. Graft survival at 1 year was 57% for those in era I v ersus 79% in era II. Rejection occurred in 74% of the patients in era I and 48% in era II. Eighty-five percent of all rejection episodes in both eras were steroid resistant and required antibody therapy. Compli cations were not different from eras I and II. Conclusions Pancreas tr ansplantation is a successful procedure with a number of significant c omplications. Rejection episodes are most often steroid resistant.