Total pancreatectomy with islet cell autotransplantation (TP-IAT) for chronic pancreatitis can effectively alleviate chronic pain so as to reduce the use of analgesic drugs, and maintain part of the endocrine function at the same time, and thereby reduce the insulin requirement. TP-IAT has become an ideal treatment method for cases of chronic pancreatitis, especially for those in the end-stage. The authors, in this paper, address the recent progress in TP-IAT therapy for chronic pancreatitis.