A 39-y-old man, who had an episode of pancreatic
bleeding due to
chronic pancreatitis, received total
pancreatectomy with islet
autotransplantation (TP with IAT). Intraoperative ultrasound (US) examination was done to detect transplanted islets and evaluate the quality of US imaging. Islet isolation from the resected total pancreas was performed and approximately 230,000 islet equivalents (IEQ) (the tissue volume was 600 µL and the purity was 30%) were acquired. A double lumen
catheter, used for
transplantation and for monitoring the portal vein pressure, was inserted into the portal vein via the superior mesenteric vein, and the tip of the
catheter was positioned at the bifurcation of the anterior and posterior branch of the portal vein to selectively infuse the islets into the right lobe of the liver in order to prevent total liver embolization. Intraoperative US examination (central frequency 7.5 MHz, Nemio™ XG, Toshiba Medical System Co.) was started at the same time as the
transplantation. US examination revealed the transplanted islets as hyperechoic clusters that flowed from the tip of the
catheter to the periphery of the portal vein. There were no findings of portal
thrombosis or
bleeding in the US image, and also no increase of the portal vein pressure during
transplantation. In conclusion, we succeeded in visualizing human islets using US, which enabled us to perform
islet transplantation safely. The hyperechoic images were considered to be viable islets. Intraoperative US examination can be useful for detecting islets at
transplantation in a clinical setting.