Conservative Pancreas Graft Preservation at the Extreme

Because of the value some patients place in remaining insulin-independent after pancreas transplantation, they may be reluctant to undergo graft pancreatectomy, even in the face of extreme complications, such as graft thrombosis and duodenal segment leak. Partly, for this reason, a variety of complex salvage techniques have been described to save the graft in such circumstances. We report a case of a series of extreme complications related to a leak from the duodenal segment after a simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant. These included infected thrombosis of the inferior vena cava associated with a graft venous thrombosis and a retroperitoneal fistula. The patient retained graft function with insulin independence and repeatedly declined graft pancreatectomy against the advice of the transplant team. Conservative treatment with percutaneous drainage, antibiotics, and anticoagulation was eventually successful. This outcome is unique in our experience and may be instructive to teams caring for pancreas transplant recipients.