Pancreas transplant - How a pancreas transplant is carried out
- Introduction
- Why a pancreas transplant is carried out
- Preparing for a pancreas transplant
- How a pancreas transplant is carried out
- Recovery
- Complications of a pancreas transplant
- 'I was a big bag of emotions – both thrilled and terrified'
- Double transplant
Pancreas transplants are carried out under general anaesthetic. This means you will lose consciousness and won't feel anything during the procedure.
At the start of the transplant a cut will be made in your abdomen (tummy). Your current pancreas will not be removed because it will continue to produce digestive juices while the donor pancreas produces insulin.
The donor pancreas will be connected to the blood vessels that carry blood to and from your leg (the right leg is usually used). A small portion of the donor’s small intestine will be attached either to your small intestine or, occasionally, your bladder.
If you are having a combined pancreas and kidney transplant, the kidney will be placed on the left-hand side of the lower abdomen. The pancreas will be positioned on the right-hand side.
A pancreas transplant operation can take three to four hours to complete. However, if you also need a kidney transplant at the same time, the procedure can take around six to eight hours.
Your new pancreas should start to produce insulin straight away, while your old pancreas continues performing other functions.
Islet transplantation
An experimental technique, known as islet transplantation, is now being used to treat type 1 diabetes.
Rather than transplanting an entire pancreas, the specialist cells contained in the pancreas that produce insulin (the islet cells) are isolated in a laboratory after the pancreas has been removed from the donor.
These cells are then transplanted into the liver by direct injection through the skin. This procedure is usually reserved for patients with life threatening hypoglycaemic attacks. Researchers are hoping that one day it will be possible to grow islet cells in a laboratory, reducing the need for human donors.
Access to this type of treatment is still very limited. Your diabetic specialist will be able to refer you if he thinks it is appropriate.
As islet transplantation is still an experimental technique and it is unclear how safe or effective it may be in the long-term.
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