Modified vascular reconstruction for pancreaticoduodenal allograft.

The simultaneous recovery of the cadaveric liver and pancreaticoduodenal allograft is well established. The current technique for procurement enables the retrieval of both organs in most multiorgan donor operations. Vascular complications may account for 45 percent of pancreatic graft failures, most of which are thromboses of the portal vein caused by low flow in the entire pancreatic vasculature, a twisted venous anastomosis or an acutely angled arterial reconstruction that can contribute to the thrombosis and, thereby, to graft failure. Because a diabetic recipient may have severely atherosclerotic vessels, an interposition autograft of the internal iliac artery of the recipient is not recommended. Our modified vascular reconstruction prevents compromised arterial blood supply when donor arterial grafts (iliac, carotid or femoral) are not available and when direct splenic to SMA reconstruction is not feasible.