[Surgical experience with 50 transplantations of neoprene-occluded segmental pancreas. Technique and postoperative...

Since the beginning of our pancreas transplantation program in November, 1987, 50 patients have received a segmental intraperitoneal neoprene-occluded pancreas graft and a contralateral kidney graft. The aim of this study is to present our surgical technique and the postoperative complications encountered. Operation in the donor: subtotal pancreatectomy is performed. A venous patch is preserved at the end of the splenic vein. The splenic artery is removed with a patch taken from the end of the celiac trunk and the origin of the common hepatic artery, even in case of right (n = 1) or left (n = 4) hepatic artery. The canal is injected with neoprene (2 to 3 cc) ex vivo and the pancreatic parenchyma is recut after stappling. Operation in the recipient: the transplant is inserted in an extraperitoneal location, between the bladder and the pubic arch, then anastomosed to the external iliac vessels.

All pancreas grafts functioned immediately. All patients but 3 are alive at present. Seven pancreas transplants were lost postoperatively due to venous thrombosis (n = 3), hemorrhage (n = 3) and death at D27 (n = 1). Many patients developed peripancreatic fluid collections and/or fistulae (the most frequent complication, probably due to the extraperitoneal site of transplantation). The actuarial survival rate of the patients, kidneys and pancreas after 2 years is 96%, 92% and 80%, respectively.