{"title":"Donation after circulatory death; cholangiopathy in the machine age.","authors":"Ian S Currie, Fiona M Hunt","doi":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001222","DOIUrl":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001222","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Published work evaluating machine perfusion of DCD (donation after circulatory death) liver grafts in situ and ex situ is rapidly evolving, with several landmark studies published in the last 6 months. The central question in DCD liver transplant remains; which strategies most effectively reduce cholangiopathy? This condition, which results in repeated hospital admissions, interventions, re-transplantation and death, is a major deterrent to DCD utilization. This review considers current evidence in the mitigation of transplant cholangiopathy by machine perfusion in DCD liver grafts.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Studies which directly address DCD cholangiopathy as a primary outcome are few in number, despite their critical importance. In systematic reviews, Normothermic Regional Perfusion and Hypothermic Machine Perfusion consistently and significantly reduce transplant cholangiopathy rates. By contrast, the efficacy of Normothermic Machine Perfusion performed at donor or recipient centres is less well described and cautious interpretation is required. The most recent development, namely hypothermic followed by normothermic perfusion, has only now appeared in the literature but appears to offer advantages compared to either technology alone.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>To reduce DCD cholangiopathy, current data best support the use of donor centre NRP or recipient centre HMP. However, utilization is also improved when warm perfusion is involved.</p>","PeriodicalId":10900,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":"337-343"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143989684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cinthia B Drachenberg, Surya V Seshan, John C Papadimitriou
{"title":"Banff 2022 pancreas pathology update: how to make the right diagnosis and decrease inconclusive pathology results.","authors":"Cinthia B Drachenberg, Surya V Seshan, John C Papadimitriou","doi":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001231","DOIUrl":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001231","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>The Banff 2022 pancreas transplant pathology update is the most comprehensive to date. It has improved the criteria for T-cell and antibody mediated rejection, recognized other clinicopathological differential diagnoses, and addressed the critically important islet failures. Nevertheless, multidisciplinary discussions during and after the meeting showed a need to enhance the real and perceived value of pancreas transplant biopsies. In particular, the occurrence of clinicopathological discrepancies and/or inconclusive biopsy findings, result in considerable uncertainty in clinical and pathology decision making.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>The current review expands on the 2022 report by presenting the most common situations leading to an inconclusive diagnosis (Banff \"indeterminate\" category), a major issue of discussion. The entities discussed herein are: nonspecific infiltrates versus active rejection; residual inflammation after treatment of active rejection; ischemic pancreatitis and peripancreatic reactions in the early posttransplant period; biopsy findings associated with exocrine drainage impairment, and other unusual or nonspecific findings. An algorithm for the evaluation of pancreas allograft biopsies is also presented, that should facilitate the interpretation of morphological findings.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Systematic integration of essential clinical information with the pathology findings can improve the diagnostic yield of pancreas allograft biopsies and reduce the cases with and \"indeterminate\" diagnoses.</p>","PeriodicalId":10900,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":"258-265"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144109947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christopher J Webb, Robert J Stratta, Sandesh Parajuli
{"title":"Pancreas rejection: quieting the storm to preserve graft function.","authors":"Christopher J Webb, Robert J Stratta, Sandesh Parajuli","doi":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001223","DOIUrl":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001223","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Allograft rejection remains enigmatic and elusive following pancreas transplantation. In the absence of early technical pancreas graft failure, pancreas allograft rejection is the major cause of death-censored pancreas graft loss both short- and long-term. Despite this circumstance, there are variations in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreas rejection. In this article, we summarize recent literature, review common practices, and discuss various management algorithms.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Although pancreas allograft biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of rejection, not all transplant centers have the capability to perform pancreas allograft biopsy. Some centers depend on clinical or laboratory parameters exclusively or rely on dysfunction or biopsy of a simultaneous kidney allograft as a marker for pancreas allograft rejection. New biomarkers are evolving to assess the risk for rejection and may help to diagnose early rejection. In the future, the use of machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence may play a role identifying patients at risk and detecting pancreas rejection without performing a pancreas allograft biopsy.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Despite decades of experience in pancreas transplantation, the diagnosis and management of pancreas rejection remains challenging. Emerging biomarkers and machine learning algorithms are needed to mitigate immunological complications and guide immunosuppression in these patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":10900,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":"266-272"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143996055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant vs. pancreas after kidney transplantation: is one better?","authors":"Sarah Huber, Jonathan A Fridell","doi":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001229","DOIUrl":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001229","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>For those with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and renal failure, both simultaneous pancreas and kidney (SPK) and pancreas after kidney (PAK) transplant can free the recipient of renal replacement and insulin therapies and provide survival advantage over ongoing dialysis and diabetes. Yet, pancreas transplants are notably declining in the United States, particularly for PAK.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Pancreas transplant continues to provide better glycemic control than all present medical therapies. Outcomes for both SPK and PAK also continue to improve, and overall patient survival for both SPK and PAK are similar, excellent, and superior to all other transplant or medical options. SPK is associated with better pancreas allograft survival, but this gap is narrowing for PAK, and the best kidney allograft survival is achieved with living donor renal transplant (LDRTx) and PAK.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>PAK remains a viable and successful treatment for uremia and insulin dependent diabetes, and, particularly when following a LDRTx, can confer the additional benefits associated with LDRTx and preemptive transplant. To achieve insulin and dialysis independence, either LDRTx followed by PAK (if a living donor is available) or SPK should be offered to candidates with appropriate indications.</p>","PeriodicalId":10900,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":"273-278"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143982796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohamed A Elzawahry, Trevor Reichman, Andrew Sutherland
{"title":"New methods for improving pancreas preservation.","authors":"Mohamed A Elzawahry, Trevor Reichman, Andrew Sutherland","doi":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001224","DOIUrl":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001224","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Pancreas and islet transplantation face critical organ shortage challenges, with many potential grafts discarded due to concerns about consequences of ischemia-reperfusion injury, particularly from donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors. Static cold storage remains standard practice but has significant limitations. Novel preservation technologies may improve transplant outcomes, donor selection and even expand the donor pool.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Normothermic regional perfusion in DCD donors has increased pancreas utilization with promising one-year graft survival comparable to donation after brain-death (DBD) donors. Hypothermic machine perfusion maintains tissue integrity and shows promising preclinical results. Oxygenated hypothermic machine perfusion successfully restores tissue adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels without notable tissue injury. Normothermic machine perfusion, despite challenges, offers potential for viability assessment and resuscitation.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Advanced preservation technologies provide platforms for assessment, reconditioning, and therapeutic interventions for pancreas grafts. Clinical translation requires consensus on perfusion parameters and perfusate composition optimized for pancreatic preservation. Future developments should focus on implementing sensitive and specific assessment methods, including beta-cell specific biomarkers, to confidently select and utilize marginal pancreas grafts for transplantation.</p>","PeriodicalId":10900,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":"279-288"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143972475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marcelo Perosa, Tiago G Miranda, Fernanda R Danziere
{"title":"Pancreas retransplantation.","authors":"Marcelo Perosa, Tiago G Miranda, Fernanda R Danziere","doi":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001225","DOIUrl":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001225","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Pancreas retransplantation (PRT) remains a topic of debate due to the increased risks involved and advancements in diabetes mellitus management.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>The majority of PRT are pancreas after kidney (PAK) transplants, typically performed when a primary simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplant results in pancreas graft failure while the kidney graft remains functioning. Over the past few decades, the number of PRT procedures has declined, mirroring the decrease in PAK transplant activity. Technical or late immunological loss of the initial pancreas is associated with better PRT outcomes, whereas early immunological failure and sensitization predict poor post-PRT outcome.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Several critical factors must be considered when evaluating PRT, including the cause and timing of primary pancreas graft failure, as well as the recipient's surgical and immunological profile. PRT outcomes should be interpreted with caution, as most primary pancreas transplants (PT) are SPK, whereas the majority of PRT are solitary PT. When comparing only primary solitary PT to PRT, the outcomes are similar, particularly when performed in high-volume centers.</p>","PeriodicalId":10900,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":"323-329"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143985338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Novel techniques of pancreas and islet preservation.","authors":"Abraham J Matar, Joseph S Rao, Raja Kandaswamy","doi":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001234","DOIUrl":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001234","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>In recent years, rates of pancreas transplantation have remained stagnant in part due to increasingly stringent donor criteria. Compared to other abdominal organs, the use of extended criteria grafts in pancreas transplantation, including donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors, remains limited. The purpose of this review is to highlight recent work in the field of pancreas and islet preservation.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Emerging preclinical and clinical data support the use of machine perfusion, both normothermic and hypothermic, as a mechanism by which to assess graft viability in an ex-situ circulation system prior to transplantation. Similarly, as normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) gains popularity, it will have significant implications on the potential organ pool for pancreas transplantation. Finally, recent advancements in cryoprotective agent composition as well as cooling and rewarming technologies have great potential to facilitate subzero preservation of pancreata and islets for long-term storage.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Broad scaling of newer preservation techniques for pancreas and islet transplantation will require overcoming challenges, including optimizing protocols, ensuring cost-effectiveness, and translation of experimental techniques to the clinical setting. Nevertheless, these strategies for pancreas procurement and preservation may facilitate increased use of marginal grafts and increase the donor pool.</p>","PeriodicalId":10900,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":"330-336"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144224648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recipient risk factors impacting outcomes after pancreas transplantation: strategies for optimization.","authors":"Emma Folch-Puy, Ramón Rull, Joana Ferrer-Fàbrega","doi":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001233","DOIUrl":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001233","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Numerous donor risk factors have been identified as contributing to poor outcomes and posttransplant complications following pancreas transplantation; however, recipient risk factors have received less attention and study. A thorough evaluation of recipient factors, that is, careful patient selection and/or prehabilitation, is essential for improving patient and graft survival rates. This review synthesizes recent studies on recipient-related risk factors and explores potential strategies to optimize transplant outcomes.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Traditional recipient risk factors include advanced age, cardiovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease. Recipient risk factors can be categorized as either preoperative or immediate postoperative. Emerging studies have investigated additional preoperative recipient risk factors in pancreas transplantation, such as socioeconomic factors including education level and insurance status, frailty, donor-recipient sex mismatch, donor-recipient size mismatch, obesity, hypoalbuminemia, and donor-specific antibody (DSA). Immediate postoperative risk factors that have been newly examined include hospital stays, kidney delayed graft function (DGF), weight gain, orthostatic hypotension, de-novo DSA (dnDSA), and posttransplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM).A recently published Pancreas Transplantation Outcome Predictions (PTOP) tool incorporating both donor and recipient characteristics may offer a holistic model and provide longer-term outcome predictions, but remains to be validated. Still, the field would benefit from a universally standardized and consistently implemented tool for guiding patient selection and testing prehabilitation strategies.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>This article provides a comprehensive, up-to-date analysis of recently studied recipient-related risk factors and a novel tool for risk assessment.</p>","PeriodicalId":10900,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":"289-303"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144224649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pediatric donors in pancreas transplantation: challenges and opportunities.","authors":"Riccardo Tamburrini, Jon S Odorico","doi":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001232","DOIUrl":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001232","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the current literature on pediatric donors for pancreas transplantation, with a focus on donor selection, clinical outcomes and surgical approaches. This review aims to highlight the feasibility and challenges of utilizing pediatric donors, assess the impact of donor and recipient selection criteria on outcomes, and explore innovations in surgical techniques.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Numerous retrospective studies show that pediatric donors yield outcomes comparable to those from adult donors. Despite challenges posed by small caliber vessels and donor-recipient size mismatches, favorable long-term outcomes, including high rates of insulin independence and stable graft function have been reported, even in cases where initial concerns about low islet mass existed. Complications such as thrombosis, pancreatitis, and ischemia-reperfusion injury remain risks, but improved anticoagulation protocols and perioperative management have significantly mitigated them. Surgical innovations, such as en-bloc transplantation with kidneys and refined vascular anastomosis techniques may minimize thrombotic and graft loss complications.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Pediatric donors are a viable option for pancreas transplantation, with outcomes matching those from adult donors, when properly selected and managed. Advances in surgical techniques and perioperative care have improved utilization and success rates.</p>","PeriodicalId":10900,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":"304-314"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Normothermic regional perfusion and liver transplant: expanding the donation after circulatory death donor pool.","authors":"Christopher C Stahl, David D Aufhauser","doi":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001230","DOIUrl":"10.1097/MOT.0000000000001230","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) is a novel technique developed to improve organ utilization and recipient outcomes following donation after circulatory death (DCD). NRP has revolutionized DCD liver transplant by extending donor criteria and reducing the incidence of ischemic cholangiopathy (IC) and other complications in recipients. However, there is significant geographic and center-specific variation in NRP use and practices. This review collates practices from pioneering NRP centers across the globe regarding donor selection criteria, NRP techniques, organ viability monitoring, and other key areas to help guide the continued growth of NRP liver transplantation.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>DCD livers recovered using NRP have consistently demonstrated excellent outcomes, with IC and patient and graft survival rates approaching those seen with grafts from donation after brain death donors. Recently, transplant centers have been working to increase the DCD donor pool by relaxing limits on donor quality, reconsidering organ viability markers, and combining NRP with ex situ machine perfusion technologies.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>NRP is a powerful organ recovery technology transforming the practice of DCD liver transplantation. Current evidence suggests that organ utilization could be further expanded using NRP recovery, with excellent clinical outcomes reported by centers using less stringent donor and organ viability criteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":10900,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation","volume":" ","pages":"225-235"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143982792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}