Pancreas transplant at Medical City Fort Worth

Pancreas transplant surgery in Fort Worth

At Medical City Fort Worth, we can help you find out if this is right for you. The multidisciplinary transplant team at Medical City Fort Worth provides high-quality transplant testing and evaluation and will walk you through the benefits and risks of pancreas transplant surgery, long-term post-surgical care and expectations.

For more information about our program or pancreas transplant surgery, please call (972) 566-7199.

When someone’s quality of life is greatly diminished by the effects of diabetes and current medical therapies are not working, a pancreas transplant can be an effective treatment option.

Our transplant program provides three types of pancreas transplant procedures:

• Pancreas-only transplant
• Simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplantation
• Pancreas transplantation after kidney transplant

Pancreas-only transplant

A pancreas-only transplant is a surgical procedure that places a healthy pancreas from a donor into a person whose pancreas no longer functions properly.

Most pancreas-only transplants are used to treat Type 1 diabetes. Although this procedure offers a potential cure for Type 1 diabetes, it is typically reserved for patients with serious complications of diabetes.

Simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant

In a simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant, both organs are placed during a single operation. This type of transplant is typically used for patients with kidney failure related to Type 1 diabetes.

Pancreas transplantation after kidney transplant

If a kidney becomes available before a pancreas, or if the patient is not physically able to withstand a simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant, a patient may have a kidney transplant first, followed by a pancreas transplant at a later date.

How do I qualify for a pancreas transplant?

Each potential candidate is evaluated on an individual basis and undergoes an extensive series of tests to determine if transplantation is the most appropriate treatment option. However, for candidates to be considered for a pancreas transplant, they must:

• Be 50 years old or younger
• Have Type 1 diabetes
• Be experiencing problems with hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia

Medical City Fort Worth visitors pass by a memorial dedicated to those individuals and families who elected to donate their organs. Their sacrifice has led to innumerable lives saved and for this, we thank them.