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Overview
Attempts have been made to isolate only the insulin producing islets from the donor pancreas and infuse these islets directly into the bloodstream of diabetic patients, where they would lodge in the tissues and produce insulin. While still an experimental procedure, "islet transplantation" may someday offer a treatment for diabetes that, unlike pancreas transplant, does not require a major surgery.
Review Date 9/9/2023
Updated by: Debra G. Wechter, MD, FACS, General Surgery Practice Specializing in Breast Cancer, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.