Lung transplantation began to expand in 1983, after the advent of cyclosporin and the publication of the Toronto lung transplant group study. Single lung transplantation was first performed in patients with interstitial pneumopathy to be extended later to pulmonary emphysema, then to primary or secondary pulmonary arterial hypertension. Double lung transplantation provides patients suffering from chronic lung infection (e.g. cystic fibrosis) with a useful alternative to their ordinary treatment. The experience acquired throughout these years has resulted in wider criteria for patients' inclusion. More than acute rejection, bacterial infections directly condition the immediate prognosis. The frequency and severity of cytomegalovirus lung diseases lead to a discussion on the possibility of prophylactic and curative antiviral therapy. The occurrence of obliterative broncholitis, which reflects chronic lung rejection, jeopardizes the long-term results of transplantation. The functional results of the various types of lung grafting are analysed, and the position of lung transplantation in thoracic surgery is reassessed.