ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Total pancreatectomy with autologous islet transplant (TPAIT) is indicated for patients with chronic pancreatitis to improve quality of life while reducing complications from hypoglycemia. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) was used to assess overall islet function and the incidence of hypoglycemia pre- and post-operatively. METHODS: Nineteen patients who underwent TPAIT at a single center from 2018 to 2020 were included. Pre-operatively, patients were defined by diabetic status. HbA1c, stimulated C-peptide, and CGM were used to characterize glycemic function. RESULTS: Pre-operatively, three patients had diabetes, and 16 patients did not have diabetes. Eight out of 16 non-diabetic patients were insulin independent (50%). Of six non-diabetic patients with > 10% hypoglycemia on pre-operative CGM, 33% were insulin-independent post-operatively (P = .3). Of non-diabetic patients with ≥ 80% time in the euglycemic range, 62% were insulin-independent post-operatively (P = .2). For patients without diabetes, the median percent time in hypoglycemic range was reduced from 8% to 1% (P = .001). Delta C-peptide had a positive correlation with islet yield (P = .03). DISCUSSION: Conventional evaluation of TPAIT patients assesses primarily beta cell function. As pancreatogenic diabetes is concerning principally for the risk of hypoglycemia, assessment of alpha cell function can improve the quality of care. CGM better captures islet function and increases the identification of hypoglycemia.