University of Virginia Health System

Pancreas Transplantation

The Transplant Procedure

There are two different surgical techniques that may be utilized to perform a pancreas transplant. One technique places the pancreas in the lower abdomen where the digestive enzymes from the organ drain into the bladder. The advantage of this surgery is that through measuring the enzymes in the urine, the Transplant Team is better able to detect pancreas rejection. The digestive enzymes are potent and can cause irritation to the bladder. The other technique places the pancreas in the abdomen so that digestive enzymes drain into the gut allowing them to be reabsorbed. Monitoring the pancreas for rejection with this technique is more challenging however.