Lung Transplantation - Indications, Follow-Up Care and Long-Term Results.

Background: Lung transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage nonmalignant lung disease. It has become a routine procedure through advances in donor lung preservation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, immunosuppression, intensive care medicine, and follow-up care.

Methods: This review is based on publications about lung transplantation that were retrieved by a selective literature search, and on the procedures and experience of two large-volume lung transplantation centers.

Results: The mean survival time after lung transplantation is six years, which is the shortest after the transplantation of any solid organ. Chronic graft dysfunction is present in 41% of patients at five years and is the main cause of death after lung transplantation, followed by infection and cancer.

Conclusion: Despite all the advances in lung transplantation, acute and - above all - chronic graft dysfunction still pose a major challenge for large-volume transplantation centers. Immunosuppression that is individually tailored to prevent both graft rejection and infection is important for these patients' long-term survival. Xenotransplantation and so-called lung bioengineering may become available in the future as alternatives to allotransplantation.