Sequential kidney/islet transplantation using prednisone-free immunosuppression.
Islet transplantation is becoming established as a treatment option for type I diabetes in select patients. Individuals with type I diabetes who have previously received a successful kidney allograft may be good candidates for islet transplantation. They have already assumed the risks of chronic immunosuppression, so the added procedural risk of a subsequent islet transplant would be minimal. Furthermore, because of the preimmunosuppressed state it is possible that islet-after-kidney transplantation may result in a more efficient early islet engraftment. Consequently, insulin independence might be achieved with significantly fewer islets than the approximately 8-10,000 islet equivalents/kg/b.w. currently required. A mass that usually demands two or more cadaveric donors. A case of successful islet-after-kidney transplantation is described using the steroid-free Edmonton immunosuppression protocol. Characteristics of the final islet product are: a) islet equivalents: 265,888 (4100 islet equivalents/kg/b.w.); b) islet purity: 75-80%; c) viability: >95% (trypan blue exclusion); and d) mean islet potency (static low-high glucose challenge): 4.16 +/- 1.91-fold increase. Post-transplant the patient's hypoglycemic episodes abated. Exogenous insulin requirements were eliminated at week 12 post-transplant as basal and Ensure (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA) oral glucose stimulated C-peptide levels peaked and stabilized. Twenty-four-hour continuous glucose monitoring confirmed moment-to-moment glycemic control, and periodic nonfasting finger stick glucose determinations over the next month confirmed glycemia was controlled. Hemoglobin A1c levels declined from a pretransplant level of 6.9% to 5.3%. Renal allograft function remained changed.
Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. d-kaufman2@northwestern.edu
Dixon B
DB
Kaufman
Marshall S
MS
Baker
Xiaojuan
X
Chen
Joseph R
JR
Leventhal
Frank P
FP
Stuart
D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000601:surgery; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents