Summary of advantages and disadvantages of various transplant sites that have been evaluated for human islet transplant.

Table 2: Summary of advantages and disadvantages of various transplant sites that have been evaluated for human islet transplant.

Site	Advantage	Disadvantage
Intraliver	Good vascular supply.	Vessel aneurysm, thrombosis. Acute steatosis. Incorrect inhibition of glucagon release of transplanted islets. Limited volume of islets possible.
Spleen	Better islet survival and success rate of diabetes reversal in animal models. Avoids hyperinsulinemia.	Abnormal glucagon response during hypoglycemic eposides.
Omentum	Easy surgical accessibility. Can accommodate larger volume of islets. Avoids hyperinsulinemia.	Abnormal glucagon response during hypoglycemic eposides.
Intramuscular	Good vascularization in the absence of suitable intraliver transplant.	Limited volume of islets. Limited evidence of long term success.
Peritoneal cavity	Very large capacity, especially for encapsulated islet transplant.	Delay in systemic insulin distribution. Larger number of islets needed to provide blood glucose control.
Subcutaneous space	Easy to access.	Limited data on non-encapsulated islet transplant. Lack of good immediate vascular supply.