Islet Cell Transplant performed at Children's Hospital

Описание: CINCINNATI (Liz Bonis) -- A mom from eastern Kentucky said thank you Tuesday, July 7, to a medical team at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital for a first of it's kind transplant there. The transplant was a big breakthrough for a painful problem that doctors said might be missed in a child. The good news was the pioneer patient is now paving a new world at Childrens for other kids. For more than a year Debbie Crum said her daughter, Mallory, who is now 12 and also has autism, was in so much pain. Debbie said, We were probably hospitalized 35 times. It all started she said with symptoms much like the flu. But it ended up being chronic pancreatitis. Dr. Jaime Nathan, a pediatric transplant surgeon, said, Sometimes patients children will come to the emergency room with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and present time and time again before anyone really thinks that this could be the pancreas. This could be inflammation of the pancreas. Doctor Nathan said medications were initially used for treatment but things got so bad for Mallory the family couldn't even go to the grocery store without having to take a pain pill before they left. There was no vacation, there was no going to school, there was no swinging; there was nothing. All the things she used to enjoy were on hold because of the disease. So Mallory's medical team offered her the chance to have a unique transplant. Doctor Nathan admitted his team had never done a surgery like that before. It removes the pancreas completely to remove the pain and then transfers cells in it critical for survival and blood sugar control, called islet cells, into a vein connected to the liver. And then they will eventually set up shop and live in the liver with the goal that they will produce insulin ultimately, said Dr. Nathan. Since then Mallory's had an amazing recovery. She spent some time at the Ronald McDonald House and already her family noticed what she can do; how she can go out and about and more importantly her pain medication. We've actually not had any pain medicine since one week after the procedure and we're back swinging and laughing and dancing and just being a kid, said Debbie. Mallory was the first to have this done at Children's. Doctors have done one more since. Only a handful of hospitals in the country do this in children and its nice to have that team in the Tri-State. Both patients are doing well. Other hospitals that perform the procedure include Minnesota and Boston. Follow Liz Bonis on Twitter @lbonis1, and LIKE her on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @Local12 and LIKE us on Facebook for updates!