do you know why they don't do pancreas transplants?

Question

they do heart and liver and kidneys but not the pancreas does anybody know why

Answer 1

The pancreas is a really difficult organ to operate on (eg- pancreatic cancer is one of the worst because of this) because to get to it you have to remove the layers covering the stomach (which has loads of blood vessels, nerves etc), the stomach and bits of the intestine just to get to it... making it an operation with loads of complications. I know its not really answering the question but hope it helps!

Answer 2

We do, in fact, do pancreas transplants.
Isolated pancreas transplants are done for refractory type 1 diabetes with early end organ damage and hypoglycemic unawareness.
Combined pancreas and kidney transplants are done for patients with type 1 diabetes with renal failure, either simultaneously or sequentially.
The pancreas is also transplanted when we do multivisceral or modified multivisceral transplants (liver, stomach, pancreas, duodenum and small bowel transplants).
The rates of rejection are higher than with liver or kidney transplants but those who have long term graft function (60-70%) become independent of insulin and can return to a normal diet.

Answer 3

They DO. I had a patient today who has rejected two pancreas transplants (she is not long for this world, I fear).

Many times, they do pancreas and kidneys together.

Answer 4

They do...a pancreas transplant is surgery to implant a healthy pancreas from a donor into a patient with diabetes. Pancreas transplants give the patient a chance to become independent of insulin injections...
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003007.htm

Answer 5

They do, I live in Az and they have been doing them at Tucson Medical Center with successful outcomes

Answer 6

They do on occasion, actually. But they are such abysmal failures, except between identical twins.