HomeHealth TopicsTransplantation DonationPancreas Transplantation
Back to Transplantation Donation
Pancreas Transplantation
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Transplantation Donation

Pancreas Transplantation

A pancreas transplant is a surgical procedure to replace a diseased pancreas with a healthy donor organ, primarily used for patients with severe type 1 diabetes.

Overview

The pancreas is a gland located behind the stomach and in front of the spine. It produces juices that aid in digestion and hormones that regulate blood sugar levels. A pancreas transplant is performed to place a healthy donor pancreas into a person with a diseased one.

Treatment and Considerations

This surgery is primarily performed for people with severe type 1 diabetes and can allow patients to discontinue insulin shots. An experimental alternative, islet cell transplantation, involves transplanting only the specific parts of the pancreas responsible for insulin production.

Risks and Management

Because of the associated risks, pancreas transplantation is not a common treatment for type 1 diabetes. Patients who undergo the procedure must:

  • Take immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent organ rejection.
  • Attend regular follow-up care.

Frequently Asked Questions

Complications include rejection (treated with increased immunosuppression), infection (prevented with prophylactic antibiotics and close monitoring), pancreatitis, and vascular thrombosis (may require surgical revision). Early detection through regular labs, imaging, and clinic visits is essential to intervene promptly.
Immunosuppressants increase infection risk, raise blood pressure, cholesterol, and may affect kidney function. Patients need regular blood work (CBC, renal panel, drug levels) every 1‑3 months, vaccinations, and lifestyle measures such as a low‑salt diet, exercise, and avoidance of tobacco. Adjustments are made to balance rejection prevention with side‑effect minimization.
Ideal candidates are adults with type 1 diabetes who have severe hypoglycemia unawareness, frequent diabetic ketoacidosis, or progressive kidney disease, and who have no major cardiovascular disease, active infection, or malignancy. Successful candidates must also be able to tolerate major surgery and commit to lifelong immunosuppression.
whole‑organ transplant replaces the entire pancreas and usually provides immediate insulin independence, but it carries higher surgical risk. Islet cell transplantation infuses isolated insulin‑producing cells into the liver; it is less invasive but often requires multiple infusions and may not achieve full insulin independence. Long‑term graft survival is higher with whole‑organ transplants, while islet procedures have lower complication rates.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

kontakt@hittavard.se

Ⓒ 2024. Alla rättigheter förbehålls av juxt ab

Sök
Om ossVillkor och policyVanliga frågorKontakta oss