Pancreas Transplantation

Currently, it is estimated that one out of every 100,000 individuals in the United States is a type 1 diabetic and 35,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The incidence of type 2 diabetes is much higher and has been trending upward over the past decade. In New York State, an estimated one million adults are diagnosed with diabetes and a remaining 450,000 adults have diabetes but remain undiagnosed.

The Bronx represents a well-documented community with higher than average incidence of diabetes and secondary problems associated with diabetes. The Pancreas Transplant Program at Montefiore provides transplant services to the Bronx and Westchester communities.

Successful pancreas transplantation provides a normal glucose and insulin-independent state, and it reduces the progression of long-term complications of diabetes. Pancreas transplantation reverses the diabetic changes in the native kidneys of patients with very early diabetic damage, prevents recurrent diabetic damage in patients undergoing simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation, reverses peripheral sensory neuropathy, stabilizes advanced diabetic retinopathy and significantly improves a patient's quality and quantity of life.

Applicable Patients for Pancreas Transplants

Pancreas transplantation is an accepted therapy for the following patients:

• Patients with type 1 diabetes who are also candidates for kidney transplantation
• Patients with type 1 diabetes and early kidney failure
• Patients with type 1 diabetes who have proper function at the time of a kidney transplant
• Select patients with type 1 diabetes who have extreme difficulty in controlling blood sugar levels
• Selected patients with type 2 diabetes who have become insulin dependent and are suffering from complications of their diabetic state