Combined kidney and pancreas transplantation. A safe and effective treatment for diabetic nephropathy.

Seventeen patients with type I diabetes and diabetic nephropathy underwent combined kidney and pancreas transplantation. Mean age was 32 +/- 6 years and average duration of diabetes was 21 +/- 6 years. Transplantation was performed through bilateral iliac fossa incisions, and graft duodenocystostomy was used to achieve exocrine pancreas drainage. The actuarial patient and kidney survival rate was 92% and the pancreas survival rate, 88% (follow-up of 3 to 28 months). One patient with functioning grafts died at 10 months owing to a cardiac arrhythmia and one pancreas was "lost" to early thrombosis. Major morbidity was due to pancreas wound infection (53%) that required reoperation, but all patients have had subsequent healing of their wounds. Rehabilitation with return to meaningful activity has been accomplished by 15 patients. This experience demonstrates that combined kidney and pancreas transplantation can be performed safely and successfully.