Intramuscular Autotransplantation of Pancreatic Islets in a 7-Year-Old Child: A 2-Year Follow-Up

A 7-year-old girl with severe hereditary pancreatitis underwent total pancreatectomy. A total of 160,000 islet equivalents (6400 islet/kg) were transplanted to the brachioradialis muscle of the right forearm. Her plasma C-peptide level was undetectable after pancreatectomy but increased to 1.37 ng/mL after 17 days; at this time point, her insulin requirement was 0.75 units of insulin/kg/day. At 5- and 27-months, her hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and insulin requirements were 4.5 and 5.3% and 0.3 and 0.18 units/kg/day, respectively. Basal and stimulated C-peptide levels were 0.67 +/- 0.07 and 3.36 +/- 1.37 ng/mL, respectively. Stimulated insulin levels were 30% higher in the islet-bearing arm compared to the contralateral arm after glucagon stimulation. After surgery and islet transplantation, the quality of life improved dramatically and she gained 8 kg of weight. In summary, a normal HbA1c, a low insulin requirement and the absence of recurrent hypoglycemia and the gradient of insulin between the arms indicate that the intramuscularly transplanted islets contribute to a long-term clinically significant metabolic control.