Pancreatico-renal composite transplant: a new technique designed to decrease pancreatic graft thrombosis

Pancreas graft thrombosis continues to be a major cause of graft loss. The removal of the donor spleen is accompanied by a significant reduction in pancreas graft blood flow. It is likely that reduced blood flow contributes to thrombosis in concert with other factors. We present a case of simultaneous pancreas and dual kidney transplantation wherein one donor kidney was anastomosed to the splenic vessels of the pancreas graft. The portal venous drainage of the pancreas graft was into the vena cava and duodenal segment was drained into the recipient's jejunum. Intraoperative blood flow determinations using an ultrasonic flow probe around the graft portal vein showed that the placement of the renal graft in the position of the donor spleen improved flow by approximately one-third (e.g. at 15 min after transplantation, 800 cc/min vs. 550 cc/min with the composite vascular pedicle clamped). The perfusion phase of a radionuclide scan on postoperative day 3 showed both transplanted kidneys had brisk and comparable visualization. The patient had an uneventful recovery and was discharged on the seventh postoperative day with normal blood glucose values and a serum creatinine of 1.2 mg/mL. A pancreatico-renal composite graft may decrease the incidence of thrombosis by improving pancreatic graft blood flow.