ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pancreas transplantation (PT) as the ultimate treatment for insulin-dependent diabetes has been the subject of debate clinically. Marked improvements in patient and graft survival, and decreases in postoperative morbidity have been achieved due to technical refinements, improved immunosuppressants, and better postoperative management. Here, we report our 18-year experience with PT performed at our institute. METHODS: All recipients who underwent deceased donor or living donor PT between July 1992 and December 2009 were included. We reviewed the medical records, including operation records, progress, and laboratory findings during follow-up. Graft and patient survival were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: In total, 119 cases of pancreas transplantation were performed between July 1992 and December 2009 at our institute. Indications for pancreas transplantation were type I diabetes in 93 (78.2%) patients and type II diabetes in 16 (13.4%) patients. The transplanted pancreas was obtained from a deceased donor in 108 cases (90.8%) and a living donor in 11 cases (9.2%). Median follow-up duration was 39.3 months posttransplantation (range 0~176 months). Overall graft survival rates at 1, 5, and 10 years were 81.6%, 63.4%, and 57.1%, respectively. Following the introduction of tacrolimus as an immunosuppressant in 1999, graft survival at 1, 5, and 10 years was 89.1%, 72.9%, and 66.2%, and overall patient survival at 1, 5, and 10 years was 93.0%, 86.0%, and 86.%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the quality of life and long-term patient survival, PT is an effective treatment strategy in non-obese diabetic patients requiring insulin regardless of the type of diabetes.