If you have extreme abdominal pain, it can be debilitating and have a major effect on your quality of life. Renowned for our successful organ transplants and building on this expertise, Nebraska Medicine offers an autologous pancreatic islet cell transplantation, a procedure reserved for patients with debilitating abdominal pain related to pancreatitis. We’re one of a select group of centers that offer this procedure. Our highly skilled certified surgeons remove your pancreas, therefore removing the source of the pain, and then transplant the islet cells from your pancreas to your liver so they can continue producing insulin.
Why Nebraska Medicine for Autologous Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation?
Life-Changing Outcomes
Our goal is for you to live a pain-free life. We’ve had great success with the technique, resulting in patients resuming daily activities and regaining their quality of life.
No Need for Anti-Rejection Drugs
Once your pancreas is removed, we take the pancreatic islet cells from your pancreas, and inject them into the blood vessels of your liver. The beauty of this approach is you don't need to take anti-rejection drugs, because your body knows the cells are your own.
A Team Approach
Specialists on your team include a gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, pancreatic surgeon, nurse coordinator, diabetes educator, social worker, dietitian, psychiatrist, psychologist, and financial counselor. Our advanced experience draws on their unique backgrounds to deliver the best possible care for you. All of our skilled specialists play a vital role.
We’re With You Every Step of the Way
After surgery, you’ll be taken directly into the Intensive Care Unit for the next day or two then to the transplant unit. Your transplant coordinator and nurses will teach you about each of your medications and how to take them, what warning signs to watch for and when to call us. During the first year after surgery, we follow you closely, with clinic appointments and bloodwork every 3 months and monitoring your blood sugars and islet cell function. We are invested in your success.
Highly Ranked Care
Nebraska Medicine is ranked among the nation’s best. Each year, U.S. News and World Report surveys the nation’s roughly 5,000 hospitals to come up with the year’s list of Best Hospitals. Just 3 percent of the hospitals analyzed for Best Hospitals earn national ranking in even one specialty. We:
- Ranked as a high-performing hospital in gastroenterology in 2011- 2012, 2013-2014 and 2016-2017 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals ranking.
- Ranked nationally in gastroenterology in the 2012-2013 report, as well as 2014-15 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals ranking.