Lung Biopsy Findings of Patients Who Have Undergone a Liver and Kidney Transplant.
Our objective was to analyze the incidence of pulmonary disorders in solid-organ transplant recipients and report on outcomes in these patients.



Seventy liver and kidney transplant patients, who underwent lung biopsy because of pulmonary symptoms between January 2000 and December 2015, were enrolled in the study. We examined and evaluated histopathologic findings of these patients based on clinical data recorded in patients' files.



Patients' mean age was 44.5 ± 16.4 years. Of 70 patients, 25 underwent liver transplant and 45 patients underwent kidney transplant. Forty-six patients received organs from living donors and 24 from deceased donors. Biopsy results of all patients included nonspecific findings (28), organized pneumonia (2), tuberculosis (6), fungal infections (11), tumors (5), amyloidosis (1), diffuse alveolar damage (4), mixed bacterial infection (1), and bronchopneumonia (12). Forty-two patients (60%) died within 54.1 ± 53.3 months after transplant and 24.6 ± 41.9 months after lung biopsy. Autopsies were performed on 14 patients. The causes of fatal lung diseases included fungal infections (8), malignant tumors (4), amyloidosis (1), diffuse alveolar damage (4), and mixed bacterial infection (1). Aspergillosis was the most frequently implicated lung infection, occurring in 54.5% of patients with fungal infections.



Pulmonary diseases remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality in solid-organ transplant recipients. Fungal infection, especially aspergillosis, was the leading cause of early death in these patients.
From the Department of Pathology, Başkent University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey.
Gonca
G
Özgün
Merih
M
Tepeoğlu
Binnaz Handan
BH
Özdemir
Eda
E
Yılmaz Akçay
Ebru Şebnem
EŞ
Ayva
Emine Ebru
EE
Deniz
Mehmet
M
Haberal
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy; D001706:Biopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality; D019520:Living Donors; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D055732:Pulmonary Aspergillosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult