Pancreas transplantation: review

Pancreas transplant (PTx) is the only treatment that establishes normal glucose levels for patients diagnosed with diabetes types 1 and 2. The paper aims to review and analyze graft survival, patient survival, and the impact on diabetic complications. We describe that the graft survival was 82-98% at 1 year, 90% at 5 years, and 75-54% at 10 years for simultaneous pancreas-kidney recipient; 71% pancreas after kidney (PAK), and 62% PTx alone at 1 year. Patient survival: At 1 year for recipients was 96.9% simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPK); for PAK transplantation recipients, 96.3%; and for PTx alone recipients, 98.3%. In general, the pancreas transplantation improves and reverses diabetic complications. Finally, the pancreatic transplant is a morbid procedure and emerges as a significant alternative in diabetes management, directly competing with conventional insulin therapies. Results so far suggest that the most effective transplant model is the SPK. While more patients could benefit from this procedure, surgical complications and the need for immunosuppression pose significant challenges.