Pancreas Transplantation 1966 – A Healthier Pancreas

The pancreas is an elongated, pale organ located beneath the stomach and connected to the duodenum. It is approximately 17.8 cm long and 3.8 cm wide. In Western civilization, it was first described by the Greek anatomist Herophilus of Chalcedon, who lived around 300 BC. However, scientists did not demonstrate that removing the pancreas in dogs caused diabetes until the late 1890s. 

Today, we know that the pancreas is both an endocrine gland (secreting hormones directly into the blood) and an exocrine gland (secreting into ducts). In particular, the pancreas secretes digestive enzymes that pass into the small intestine and break down food. Among the several hormones secreted by the pancreatic islets of Langerhans is insulin, which lowers blood sugar.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system destroys insulin-secreting cells. These patients therefore generally need insulin injections. However, even when patients try to stabilize their blood sugar levels with insulin injections, the results are not as good as having a functioning pancreas. Type 1 diabetes can also cause secondary problems, including kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and retinal damage.

Pancreas transplantation may be performed in people who do not respond well to insulin injections. During this type of transplant, the recipient's existing pancreas is left in place and continues to help digest food, while the donor pancreas (with healthy insulin-producing cells) is connected to blood vessels in the lower right abdomen.

Pancreas transplants are not yet considered effective options for people with pancreatic cancer. 

The most common pancreas transplant, especially if the patient already has kidney damage caused by diabetes, is a simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant. 

The first pancreas transplant was performed in 1966 by American surgeons Richard Lillehei, William Kelly, and colleagues.

Historical Figures Mentioned in This Article: Herophilus of Chalcedon (335 BC–280 BC), Richard C. Lillehei (1927–1981)

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