Long-term pulmonary function after living-donor lobar lung transplantation in adults.
BACKGROUND
Living-donor lobar lung transplantation was developed as an alternative to cadaveric transplantation. However, whether two pulmonary lobes provide comparable intermediate and long-term pulmonary function to full-sized bilateral cadaveric grafts in adults is unknown.


METHODS
An analysis of the pulmonary functions of 59 bilateral lobar and 43 bilateral cadaveric adult lung transplant recipients who survived more than 3 months after transplantation was performed.


RESULTS
Mean follow-up was 3.8 +/- 2.8 years. In lobar recipients, mean percent predicted forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second improved between 1 and 6 months after transplantation (42.5% +/- 13.4% and 46.9% +/- 14.0% at 1 month versus 63.6% +/- 14.1% and 64.5% +/- 13.7% at 6 months; p < 0.001 and <0.001, respectively). In cadaveric recipients, mean percent predicted forced vital capacity improved after transplantation (54.3% +/- 14.5% at 1 month versus 74.2% +/- 21.3% at 12 months; p < 0.01). As compared with the cadaveric group, mean percent predicted forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second were lower 1 and 3 months after transplantation in the lobar recipients (p = 0.001 at both times); however, by 6 months after transplantation, these values were comparable and remained so throughout the follow-up period. In a subset of lobar and cadaveric recipients, maximal exercise, heart rate, peak oxygen consumption, anaerobic oxygen consumption threshold, and ability to maintain oxygen saturation were also comparable.


CONCLUSIONS
In those adult recipients surviving more than 3 months after transplantation, lobar lung transplantation provides comparable intermediate and long-term pulmonary function and exercise capacity to bilateral cadaveric lung transplantation.
Bowdish
Michael E
ME
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA.
Pessotto
Renzo
R
Barbers
Richard G
RG
Schenkel
Felicia A
FA
Starnes
Vaughn A
VA
Barr
Mark L
ML
D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000328:Adult; D001989:Bronchiolitis Obliterans / Q000209:etiology; D002102:Cadaver; D002423:Cause of Death; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D019520:Living Donors; D016040:Lung Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality* / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D015996:Survival Rate