Measurement of the Pancreas Function in Patients With More Than One Pancreas After Liver and Small Bowel Transplantation

The glycemic control in type 1 diabetic recipients of islet cell grafts is correlated with the ß-cell mass. In the standard technique for liver/small bowel transplant procedure previously described by Grant et al, the pancreas was removed. This surgical method was modified by Sudan et al and the donor pancreas was transplanted intact in these non-diabetic patients. Under chronic immunosuppressive and corticosteroid therapy, these patients with extra ß-cell mass have not developed insulin resistance or diabetes mellitus. To which level insulin secretory capacity the extra pancreas allograft together with the native pancreas has in these transplant patients are not yet known.

Among the measures of pancreatic ß-cell-secretory capacity, the first-phase and steady state insulin secretion from the hyperglycemic clamp studies are believed to give the most robust estimates. Moreover, the hyperglycemic clamp and the euglycemic clamp yield comparable estimates of insulin sensitivity and, so that under appropriate conditions, the hyperglycemic clamp technique may be used to assess both insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion in the same individual in a single experiment.

Inclusion criteria

• Liver/small bowel transplant patients with partial or whole pancreas
• Solitary small bowel transplant patients
• Insulin independent (no diabetes mellitus)
• Maintenance IS with Tacrolimus/Azathioprine