Insulin independence for 58 months following pancreatic islet cell transplantation in a patient undergoing upper abdominal exenteration.

THE most successful outcome of pancreatic islet allotransplantation has been in patients with upper abdominal malignancies who have undergone cluster resection followed by liver replacement. I.2 Between January 1990 and June 1992. 11 patients underwent this procedure; six (55%) of whom were insulin-independent until demise, due to recurrence of the primary disease. We report herein. a 58-month postoperative metabolic course of the longest survivor of islet allotransplantation. who underwent upper abdominal exenteration for hepatocellular carcinoma necessitating combined liver and islet transplantation.