Islet transplantation in Japan—Report from Japanese Islet Transplantation Registry—

Abstract

In 2024, six islet transplants were performed in four patients. The majority of donors were in their 60s (three cases), followed by one each in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. All were male, brain-dead donors. Islet isolation and transplantations were performed at Fukuoka University Hospital (3 cases), the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (2 cases), and Fujita Health University Hospital (1 case). Warm ischemia time was 0 minutes in all cases, and the median cold ischemia time was 502 minutes. The median islet yield was 288,662.5 IEQ. All cases met the transplant criteria at each facility and were successfully transplanted.

Recipients included one patient in their 40s, one patient in their 60s, and two patients in their 70s. The patient at Fukuoka University Hospital was the first, second, and third islet transplant in 2024. All other cases were first-time transplants. No serious adverse events were observed, demonstrating the effectiveness of a minimally invasive and highly safe transplant procedure. Unfortunately, there have been no cases of insulin withdrawal, but the procedure is thought to contribute to blood sugar stability in type 1 diabetes patients.