What to Expect

How an Islet Transplant is Performed

The transplant recipient's own pancreas is left in place and islets are infused into the recipient through the portal vein in the liver.  There, they begin producing insulin.

The islets can be procured from either a living or deceased donor.  Islets can be obtained from a living donor by removing part of the donor's pancreas.  Islets can be obtained from a deceased donor by removing the donor's pancreas.  Either way, sophisticated techniques are used to isolate the islets from the rest of the pancreatic tissue and to maximize the quality and quantity of islets available for transplantation.