Combining Donor Characteristics with Immunohistological Data Improves the Prediction of Islet Isolation Success

Abstract

Variability of pancreatic donors may significantly impact the success of islet isolation. The aim of this study was to evaluate donor factors associated with isolation failure and to investigate whether immunohistology could contribute to organ selection. Donor characteristics were evaluated for both successful (n=61) and failed (n=98) islet isolations. Samples of donor pancreatic tissue (n=78) were taken for immunohistochemical examination. Islet isolations with 250000 islet equivalents were considered successful. We confirmed that BMI of less than 25 kg/m2 (P1.02%), sensitivity and specificity were 89% and 76%, respectively. To conclude, while the insulin-positive area, determined preislet isolation, as a single variable, is sufficient to predict isolation outcome and helps to improve the success of this procedure, its combination with the established donor scoring system might further improve organ selection.