Restrictions Preventing Wide Acceptance of Clinical Islet Transplantation with Immunosuppression
Recent publications of the long-term results of clinical islet transplantation in hypoglycemic unaware type 1 diabetic recipients suggest excellent insulin independence rates at 12 months between 75 to 85% in the best centers [46, 52, 97]. These results follow intrahepatic injections of partially purified islets into portal vein of the liver. However, the duration of insulin independence declines yearly to 8% by 5 years at the best centers. Lower success rates are seen from many of the other islet transplant centers, as reported in the Collaborative Islet Transplant Registry report from 2004, providing an average insulin independence rate of 55% at 12 months postimplant. In that this average result included the best centers, many islet transplant center individual results must be significantly below this average.
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