The evolution of diabetic chronic complications after pancreas transplantation

Pancreas transplantation is an invasive procedure that can restore and maintain normoglycemic level very successfully and for a prolonged period in DM1 patients. The procedure elevates the morbimortality rates in the first few months following the surgery if compared to kidney transplants with living donors, but it offers a better quality of life to patients. Although controversial, several studies have shown the stabilization or the improvement of some of the chronic complications related to diabetes, as well as the extra number of years of life that patients submitted to a double pancreas-kidney transplantation may gain. Recent studies have demonstrated clashing outcomes regarding isolated pancreas transplantations, a fact which reinforces the need for a more discerning selection of patients for this procedure.