Transplantation of the pancreas into a retroperitoneal jejunal loop

A new technic of pancreatic transplantation was developed and assessed in sixty-nine dog experiments. The body and tail of the pancreas were transplanted into the side of the Roux-en-Y retroperitoneal limb of jejunum. A dual venous anastomosis of the splenic vein to the vena cava was utilized to avoid venous congestion. Mean survival with normoglycemia was 32.4 days in thirty dogs with autografts and 24.6 days in twenty-seven dogs with allografts. Two dogs with autotransplants remain alive at 106 and 128 days, and the longest normoglycemic survival achieved with an allograft was 85 days. With experience the incidence of pancreatitis and abscess formation decreased. The problem of venous thrombosis was eliminated and the patency of the pancreatic duct was maintained.