Combined pancreaticoduodenal-kidney transplantation in rats

The objective of this work was to establish a stable and simple simultaneous pancreaticoduodenal‐kidney transplantation model in rats. The methods involved harvesting a pancreaticoduodenal‐kidney (left) (PDK) and 1‐cm inferior vena cava (IVC) with a 0.5‐cm left and right iliac communis vein from donors and to “cuff” anastomose between portal vein and right iliac communis vein, left kidney vein, and left iliac communis vein, converging donor portal vein and left kidney vein into IVC together. Next, we performed an anastomosis of the donor arterial segment and recipient abdominal aorta and a “cuff” anastomosis between donor IVC and recipient left kidney vein. Of 67 transplanted rats in which diabetes was induced, 57 survived >7 days, 55 survived 1 month, 54 rats have survived >4 months. In 51 rats, nonfasting plasma glucose levels were euglycemic. We performed three “cuff” anastomoses to simplify the surgical procedure and to shorten the ischemia time of the graft; the recipient vein system has an integrated endovenous membrane to avoid venous thrombi in venous anastomosis sites. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. MICROSURGERY 21:55–57 2001