[Effect of pancreatic islet cell culture allotransplantation on the clinical course of proliferative diabetic retinopathy].

The authors describe the effect of intramuscular human fetal pancreatic islet cell (IC) culture transplantation on the clinical course of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Four patients with the preterminal stage of PDR were followed-up no less than 2 yrs. after transplantation. A marked and stable improvement of the eye fundus clinical picture and visual acuity was observed in 3 of these 4 recipients. Correlation of the improvement of the ophthalmic status with the therapeutic effect of fetal IC culture allotransplantation on other diabetic complications like polyneuropathy and glomerulosclerosis was noted.