title: Bronchial blood supply after lung transplantation without bronchial artery revascularization.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This review discusses how the bronchial artery circulation is interrupted following lung transplantation and what may be the long-term complications of compromising systemic blood flow to allograft airways.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that the loss of airway microcirculations is highly associated with the development of airway hypoxia and an increased susceptibility to chronic rejection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The bronchial artery circulation has been highly conserved through evolution. Current evidence suggests that the failure to routinely perform bronchial artery revascularization at the time of lung transplantation may predispose patients to develop the bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome.
authors.affiliation: VA Palo Alto/Stanford University School of Medicine, 3801 Miranda Ave., Palo Alto, California 94304, USA. mnicolls@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Nicolls
authors.forename: Martin R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zamora
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000818:Animals; D001981:Bronchial Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D001989:Bronchiolitis Obliterans / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery*; D016040:Lung Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome