[1] At present, pancreas transplants are usually performed in persons with insulin-dependent diabetes, who can develop severe complications.

This is because the transplanted pancreas comes from another organism, thus the recipient's immune system will consider it as an aggression and try to combat it.

But as episodes of rejection may reoccur throughout a patient's life, the exact choices and dosages of immunosuppressants may have to be modified over time.

Sutherland, whole pancreas transplantation began as a part of multi-organ transplants, in the mid-to-late 1960s, at the University of Minnesota:The first attempt to cure type 1 diabetes by pancreas transplantation was done at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, on December 17, 1966… [This] opened the door to a period, between the mid 70's to mid 80's where only segmental pancreatic grafts were used...

In the late 70's-early 80's, three major events… boosted the development of pancreas transplantation… [At] the Spitzingsee meetings, participants had the idea to renew the urinary drainage technique of the exocrine secretion of the pancreatic graft with segmental graft and eventually with whole pancreaticoduodenal transplant.

In parallel, the Swedish group developed the whole pancreas transplantation technique with enteric diversion.

[9][non-primary source needed] The first living-related partial pancreas transplantation was done in 1979.

][citation needed] In the successive 1980s period, there was significant improvements in immunosuppressive drugs, surgical techniques, and the preservation of organs.

The prognosis is very good with 95% of patients still alive after one year post-surgery and 80-85% of all pancreases still functional.