Summary
The pancreas is a gland behind your stomach and in front of your spine. It produces the juices that help break down food and the hormones that help control blood sugar levels. A pancreas transplant is surgery to place a healthy pancreas from a donor into a person with a diseased pancreas. It is mostly done for people with severe type 1 diabetes. It can allow them to give up insulin shots. An experimental procedure called islet cell transplantation transplants only the parts of the pancreas that make insulin.
People who have transplants must take drugs to keep their body from rejecting the new pancreas for the rest of their lives. They must also have regular follow-up care. Because of the risks, it is not a common treatment for type 1 diabetes.
Resources
- Getting a New Pancreas: Facts about Pancreas Transplants (American Society of Transplantation) - PDF
- Kidney-Pancreas Transplant (National Kidney Foundation)
- Organ Facts: Kidney / Pancreas (United Network for Organ Sharing)
- Organ Facts: Pancreas (United Network for Organ Sharing)
- Pancreas transplant - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Genetics
-
Genetics Home Reference: type 1 diabetes
(National Library of Medicine)
Statistics and Research
- Pancreas Center Data Profile (Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network)
- The SRTR/OPTN Annual Data Report (Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients)
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Pancreas Transplantation
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network: Member Directory (Health Resources and Services Administration, Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, United Network for Organ Sharing)
Patient Handouts
- Pancreas transplant (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish