Effectiveness of Intraoperative Versus Dedicated Islet Cell Laboratory Isolation for Total Pancreatectomy With Islet Autotransplant

Total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT) requires a complex islet isolation process of the explanted pancreas. Islet isolation has historically required a specialized laboratory to perform islet isolation. We report our experience with a novel technique of intraoperative islet isolation that does not require a specialized islet laboratory, thereby making the isolation process simpler, more accessible, and less costly. We performed a retrospective, comparative effectiveness analysis of 50 adult patients who underwent TPIAT from 2012 to 2020 (TPIAT with remote isolation [n = 20] versus intraoperative isolation of islet cells [n = 30]). The primary outcome was islet equivalents per body weight (IEQ/kg) for patients in each group. Mean IEQ/kg's (4294 remote group versus 3015 intraoperative group, = 0.06) and 1-y postoperative C-peptide levels (1.51 ng/mL remote group versus 0.91 ng/mL intraoperative group, = 0.10) were not different between groups. Mean 1-y HbA1c levels (7.7% in the remote group versus 7.1% intraoperative group, = 0.67) and 1-y insulin requirements ( = 0.31) were not statistically different. Lower average cost of hospitalization was seen in the intraoperative group, although this was not statistically significant ($104 398 remote versus $78 986 intraoperative, = 0.81). Intraoperative islet isolation has similar effectiveness in regard to glycemic outcomes compared with the use of a dedicated islet cell isolation laboratory at a lower cost.