Results of pancreas-transplant registry

From December 1966 to March 1988, 1394 pancreas transplants were reported to the International Pancreas Transplant Registry. For the 1129 cases since 1982, the overall 1-yr graft and recipient survival rates were 46 and 82%, respectively. When analyzed according to the three most common duct-management techniques, polymer injection (n = 324), intestinal drainage (n = 282), and bladder drainage (n = 462), the 1-yr function rates were 47, 45, and 54%, respectively. The graft survival rates were also similar, whether whole (n = 492) or segmental (n = 634) grafts were transplanted (47 vs. 46% at 1 yr). Graft survival rates according to preservation times were 49, 42, and 43% at 1 yr for those stored less than 6 h (n = 694), 6-12 h (n = 237), and greater than 12 h (n = 89), respectively. Immunosuppressive regimens that included both cyclosporin and azathioprine were associated with significantly (P less than .03) higher graft survival rates than those that included only one of the drugs, with 1-yr graft survival rates for technically successful grafts of 67, 54, and 39% for patients treated with azathioprine plus cyclosporin (n = 602), cyclosporin without azathioprine (n = 201), and azathioprine without cyclosporin (n = 44). Pancreas-graft survival rates differed according to whether a kidney was or was not transplanted and according to the timing of the transplant: 53, 40, and 32%, respectively, at 1 yr for cases in which a simultaneous kidney was transplanted (n = 685), a kidney had previously been transplanted (n = 201), or a kidney had never been transplanted (n = 202).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)