[Management of diabetes induced by nearly total (95%) pancreatectomy with autologous transplantation of Langerhans cells].

The present report concerns a patient who had undergone nearly total pancreatectomy (95%) with pancreatic islet autotransplantation for intractable pain caused by obstructive chronic pancreatitis. Islets were prepared by a modified collagenase digestion and were cultured in vitro in Eagel's medium in 5% CO2 in air at 37 degrees C for 5 days. The resultant preparation, containing about 150,000 islets, was injected into the recipient's liver via the umbilical vein. No complication occurred from the pancreatectomy or transplant. Postoperatively, the patient had complete relief of the abdominal pain, and the insulin-independent condition remained with normal fasting blood glucose, and hemoglobin A1c for 11 months. Subsequently the fasting hyperglycemia was evident, and the patient began oral antidiabetic medication, but 2 year after transplantation the insulin-dependent condition demanded exogenous insulin (24 U). At present the fasting serum C-peptide level is 0.6 ng/ml and the HbA1c of 5.8% confirms the normoglycemic condition at the same insulin dose. Islet auto-transplantation should be considered as an adjunct procedure to prevent or ameliorate diabetes after total or nearly total pancreatic resection.