PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Haider A. Al-Shurafa
AU  - Muaffak T. Jawdat
AU  - Atef F. Bassas
AU  - Xavier C. Rogiers
AU  - Wolf O. Bechstein
TI  - Innovations in pancreas transplantation
DP  - 2002 Mar 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 265--271
VI  - 23
IP  - 3
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/23/3/265.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/23/3/265.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2002 Mar 01; 23
AB  - Pancreas transplantation is currently the curative treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus. It aims at providing physiological insulin replacement therapy in type 1 diabetes mellitus. The goal is thereby also to prevent secondary complications of diabetes. Long term control of glucose metabolism has only been achieved by pancreas transplantation. As a result of improvements in the surgical techniques and the efficacy of immunosuppression, the patient and graft survival rates have improved dramatically over the last 2 decades. As a result, pancreas transplantation, as part of simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation, pancreas after kidney transplantation, and exceptionally pancreas transplantation alone, became the standard therapeutic option for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus with end-stage renal disease. In this article we review the pancreas transplantation methods, indications, techniques, and the short as well as the long outcomes of treatment.