[Long-term results in pancreas transplantation in diabetes in the pre-cyclosporin era].

Simultaneous transplantation of the pancreas and the kidney performed in our institution up to 1979 in patients with diabetic nephropathy and terminal renal failure did not result in long-term success. The same procedure was applied to 13 patients with the same indication from 1980 to 1982. The technique of pancreatic transplantation was a segmental transplantation with instantaneous or delayed duct occlusion. Immunosuppressive therapy included azathioprine and prednisone, and in some patients antilymphocyte globulin, but no cyclosporin. 5 of these patients are still living; 4 of them lost their pancreas transplant function after 2 months, 5 months, 9 months and 5 years respectively. One female patient is living 15 years after transplantation, with good function of both the pancreas and the kidney. This is the longest functional survival after pancreas and kidney transplantation in the world literature.