My son has been insulin dependent since 12yrs old he wants a pancress transplant how successful is it?

Son's age??: In children with type 1 diabetes, a pancreas is only transplanted if another organ is also needed. The reason for this is because of the anti rejection medication and long list of potential complications which could make a child a lot sicker than living with diabetes. Living with dm is not easy, but good things are coming. The artificial pancreas looks promising, though not yet available.

Not (yet) an option: Pancreas transplantation is not yet an acceptable option for young people, but research continues. Because transplantation requires lifetime immune suppression, it is usually only considered when another transplant (eg, kidney) is required. Also, pancreas transplants have a limited lifetime. The "artifiical pancreas" (automated Insulin by machine) is another very promising development.

Very successful: Pancreas transplant alone has few indications. Those who fail an Insulin pump may be candidates if they have severe problems controlling their blood sugar. Most pancreas transplants are done in conjunction with kidney transplants as the patient has had severe complications from diabetes. If your son has had difficulty with hypoglycemic unawareness or dka, he may be a candidate.

Results: Pancreas transplants are indicated in combination with a kidney (either simultaneously or sequentially) or alone for very poorly controlled diabetes with hypoglycemia unawareness. The iptr and the optn have data available on line. 1 yr pt survival ranges from 95.5-97.4. Graft survival at 1 yr is 78-85 depending on type of transplant with the best results reported for spk.