University of Virginia Health System

Islet Cell Transplantation

The Transplant Procedure

When suitable islets become available, the patient will be contacted and arrangements will be made for a stay at the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) for approximately 2-3 days. The pancreatic islets are removed from a donor pancreas, isolated in the laboratory, then infused into the patient via the portal vein of the liver where they attach themselves and begin producing insulin. This procedure is minimally invasive, and has few complications. Patients usually do not obtain insulin independence after one islet infusion and may become “relisted” for another transplant infusion at a later date. Our protocol allows for up to three separate islet infusions to obtain insulin independence.