Long-Term Follow-up after Total Pancreatectomy and Islet Cell Autotransplantation in Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis Utilizing Off-Site Islet Isolation

Context: Total pancreatectomy (TP) with islet-cell auto transplantation (IAT) is an option for pain management for patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP). IAT allows the preservation of beta cell function to reduce or prevent long-term diabetes. Objective: We performed a follow-up study up to 12 years after TPIAT surgery with an off-site isolation laboratory, to determine the efficacy and durability of the procedure. Methods: Data (August 2008 to August 2020) were obtained from a TPIAT database which included information from medical records, clinic visits, questionnaires, and follow-up telephone calls. Patient demographics were collected. Additionally, each patient was assessed with a 4-hour mixed meal tolerance test for metabolic measurements, serial glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and insulin requirements prior to surgery and during their most recent follow-up appointment. Results: Seventy-seven patients with a median age of 45.0 years underwent TP-IAT for CP due to different etiologies. At a median follow-up time of 422.5 days 12 patients were insulin independent and 65 patients were on at least one insulin injection a day. Post-operative C-peptide area under the curve (AUC) measurements (P=0.008) were a better indicator of procedure success compared to the number of islet cells transplanted (P=0.225). Patients who were insulin-dependent post-surgery demonstrated increased insulin resistance prior to surgery, by their median pre-surgery insulin AUC; insulin-independent, 626 (241, 3803); insulin-dependent, 1591 (325, 4803), HOMA-IR values 9.02. Conclusions: TPIAT improves intractable pain for patients with CP. IAT decrease insulin requirement and improve blood glucose control after TP. Insulin resistance prior to surgery may be a predictor for insulin-dependence. Intervention studies using insulin sensitizer prior surgery may be considered in evaluating long-term outcomes for these patients. Disclosure S. U. Lad: None. K. F. Ali: None. P. C. Johnston: None. V. San martin: None. Y. Lin: None. R. Bottino: None. M. Walsh: None. T. Stevens: Speaker’s Bureau; Self; AbbVie Inc. B. Hatipoglu: None.