ISOLATED LUNG TRANSPLANTATION - RESULTS O F 17 CONSECUTIVE OPERATIONS

16 patients (nine men, seven women; mean age 45 [23-62] years) with en d-stage pulmonary disease underwent lung transplantation, 14 unilatera l, three bilateral (one bilateral retransplantation). The diagnoses we re: emphysema (n = 5), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (n = 5), emphysem a in alpha(1)-antitrypsin deficiency (n = 1), mucoviscidosis (n = 1), drug-induced fibrosis (n = 1), chronic lung rejection after heart-lung transplantation (n = 1), secondary pulmonary hypertension with persis tent ductus arteriosus (n = 1), sarcoidosis (n = 1) and chronic transp lant failure after unilateral transplantation (n = 1). Eleven patients survived long-term (mean follow-up period 247 [8-585] days). Ten of t hese patients have been independent of additional oxygen after an aver age of 8 months postoperatively, eight are physically active according to their age. Three patients died of reperfusion damage intraoperativ ely or in the early postoperative period. The two other patients died from septicaemia 51/2 and 7 months postoperatively. - It is concluded that lung transplantation in end-stage pulmonary disease provides the only therapeutic means with any expectation of physical rehabilitation .