[Current status and future of pancreas transplantation]

The results of pancreas transplantation have improved in the ciclosporin A era. Success rates are now similar to those in other types of organ transplantation, and the number of cases has increased concomitantly. As of December 1997, 10,283 pancreas transplantation procedures had been reported to the International Pancreas Transplant Registry. Since 1995, over 1,000 have been reported annually, 75% of which have been performed in the USA. The majority (88%) of those carried out in the USA consist of simultaneous pancreas and kidney (SPK) transplantations, followed by pancreas transplantation after kidney transplantation (10%) and pancreas transplantation alone (PTA) (2%). From 1994 to 1997, the overall one-year patient survival rate was 94%. The graft survival rate for SPK was the highest, with one- and three-year graft survival rates of 82% and nearly 80%, respectively. The administration of FK506 and mycophenolate mofetil has improved the results in patients undergoing pancreas transplantation. Althought the technical failure rate has decreased, graft thrombosis remains the most frequent cause of technical failure (5.5% for SPK with exocrine bladder drainage and 11% for SPK with enteric drainage). The standard surgical procedure has included pancreas-exocrine bladder drainage, but the current trend is to perform physiological enteric drainage. It has been reported that the portal venous and enteric exocrine drainage methods are safe, with outcomes similar to those of the standard technique. It appears that these will become the standard methods in the near future. The primary objective of improved quality of life is achieved in patients with functioning pancreas grafts, and transplantation results in modest reductions in secondary diabetes mellitus complications. However, it must still be confirmed whether the long-term quality-of-life benefits outweigh the potential risks. The secondary objective of pancreas transplantation is to prevent complications of diabetes mellitus. It is necessary to develop methods for the early detection of rejection, which will lead to significant improvements in the results of PTA. Although 15 pancreas transplantation surgeries have been carried out in Japan, they ceased after 1994. Currently, social debate to determine the rules governing such procedures is ongoing.