[Pancreatic donor operation for islet cell isolation and transplantation]

Preservation of B-cells, following organ collection and cold ischaemia, was defined on 19 donor organs by means of histological tests and testing for insulin content in pancreatic tissue. The degree of preservation declined by 50 per cent after two hours of cold ischaemia. The Velcro technique and uncrushed organ digestion were used for isolation. Islet yield was calculated by determination of insulin levels in isolated tissue (nmol/ml) and in the islet (pmol/islet). The average islet yield was 2 076 islets to one gram pancreas, that is ten per cent of the original amount. Studies conducted into in-vitro insulin secretion from isolated islets have revealed damage to organs due to handling, especially to organs which had undergone extended cold ischaemia.