Acute pancreatitis following renal allotransplantation. A lethal complication

Since first described by Starzl in 1964 (1), acute pancreatitis following renal homotransplantation has been the subject of sporadic reports and reviews (2-5). The generally reported incidence has been around 2%, with a mortality rate of 50-60%. A recent experience with such a patient caused us to retrospectively analyze our own series of renal transplant recipients. In an eight-year period, there were six patients who had documented pancreatitis out of a total 120 renal homograft recipients, an incidence of 5%. The mortality was distressingly high; five out of the six succumbed directly to this complication, a rate of 83%. The purpose of this paper is to review these six patients in detail, with special attention to the protean etiologies and manifestations of this lethal complication.