[Implantable insulin pump: surgical implantation under local anesthesia. (Technical note apropos of 35 cases)]

The authors report 35 cases of implantation of a programmable implantable insulin pump, under local anesthesia. This technique allows creation of an subcutaneous pocket and introduction of an intraperitoneal catheter for insulin delivery. The morbidity is mainly due to the catheter which becomes thrombosed by a fibrotic pannus at its tip. We observed only one case of mechanical dysfunction of the pump. Subcutaneous migration is secondary to reoperation without new fixation. With a mean follow-up of 7 months, 75% of the patients are doing well.