Current status and prospect of pancreas transplantation

Pancreas transplantation is currently the most reliable and effective treatment option to cure the type 1 diabetes. Severe dysfunction of pancreas which will lead long-term poor control of blood glucose or severe diabetes is a risk factor of heart disease, stroke, uremia, blindness and other diseases, and the quality of life of patients is often very poor. Pancreas transplantation can restore the blood glucose of recipient to normal level, improve the complications of recipient with diabetes, including renal disease, neuropathy, retinopathy, etc., and reduce the disability and mortality of recipients. Based on the clinical experience of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, the author discussed the surgical types, indications and contraindications, donor and recipient selection, surgical proce-dures and postoperative complications, immunosuppressive agents and related complications, postoperative rejection and its management, curative effect and prognosis related factors of pancreas transplantation for type 1 diabetes with the aim to provide references to surgeons.