Type 1 Diabetes: Surgery
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Surgery
Surgery for type 1 diabetes is done only in special situations.
- Surgery to replace the pancreas (pancreas transplant) may be done when a person is receiving another organ, such as a kidney.
- Surgery to insert working pancreas cells (islet cell transplant) is experimental.
These surgeries are very expensive. After having one of these surgeries, a person must take medicine for the rest of his or her life to prevent the body from rejecting the new tissue (immunosuppression medicines).
| Last updated: | September 17, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS |
| Reviewed By: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC |
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