Simultaneous pancreas-/kidney transplantation--the Bochum experience

Since the introduction of the bladder drainage technique, the number of pancreas transplants performed has now reached 1,000 per year worldwide. Most of these transplants have been performed in the United States. In contrast, the number of pancreas transplants performed in the Eurotransplant community has remained at a low level for several years. The results of a consecutive series of 40 simultaneous pancreas/kidney transplantations (SPK) performed between June 1994 and July 1996 demonstrate that high 1-year graft function rates of 87.1% for pancreas and 94.8% for kidney grafts can be achieved. Therefore, SPK can be recommended as a standard procedure for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and end-stage renal disease in Germany, too.