A Case of Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation in a Patient with Situs Ambiguous: Anatomical and Radiological Considerations

ABSTRACT

Pancreatic islet cell transplantation is an evolving treatment of severe, refractory type 1 diabetes that has been gaining more use, particularly after one year rates of insulin independence post-transplantation were found to approach 80% under the Edmonton protocol. Islet cell transplantation involves percutaneous delivery of harvested allogeneic β cells into the portal venous circulation for implantation into the liver. We present the case of a 35-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes and situs ambiguous with left isomerism and resultant variant anatomy of her portal venous anatomy who underwent islet cell transplantation, which, to our knowledge, has not been previously reported.

KEYWORDS

Pancreatic islet cell transplantation - situs ambiguous - treatment of diabetes mellitus

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