Pancreas, diabetes mellitus and pancreatic transplantation--a retrospective survey.

The administration of exogenous insulin ameliorated the symptoms and increased the life expectancy of insulin dependent diabetic patients, but could not cure or prevent the devastating complications including retinopathy, nephropathy and angiopathy. It was recognised that despite insulin therapy, the severity and frequency of the degenerative late complications are still high in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus. The recognition of the increased frequency of and complications accompanying the disease has intensified efforts by scientists to find the form of pancreatic tissue to be transplanted and the suitable site in a bid to secure an insulin producing graft. This review presents an update in pancreatic organ and fragment transplantation. The history of the pancreas is also brought into limelight to show the long, hard and exciting path pancreas and diabetes mellitus have both gone through. An account is also given of experimental and clinical pancreatic whole organ/fragment transplantation including transplantation sites, the evaluation of the viability of pancreatic grafts and the complications of transplantation. Pancreatic islet transplantation is not discussed.