Preventing Surgically Induced Diabetes After Total Pancreatectomy via Autologous Islet Cell Reimplantation

Total pancreatectomy may be the only treatment option that relieves pain and tissue destruction for patients with chronic pancreatitis, but this procedure causes surgically induced diabetes, which is difficult to manage because of the absence of insulin-producing beta cells. Some patients may benefit from autologous islet cell reimplantation, a procedure that involves collecting and purifying the islets of Langerhans from the patient's own resected pancreas and reinfusing them into the patient via the portal vein. Typically, candidates for this procedure are younger adults with nondilated pancreatitis that has yet to develop into glucose intolerance. Islet cell transplantation success varies and is directly related to the quality and quantity of the patient's pancreas and the damage caused by the chronic pancreatitis.