Objective: To evaluate whether lung transplantation conferred acceptable survival compared with conventional treatment for end-stage silicosis.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data for five consecutive patients with silicosis between September 2002 and December 2010, four underwent single lung transplantation and one bilateral lung transplantation.
Results: There was no perioperative mortality. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was required in four patients, three underwent single lung transplantation and one received bilateral lung transplantation, three of them were successfully weaned. One developed primary graft dysfunction 2 days after transplant and died of multiple organ failure on postoperative day 8. The remaining four patients were discharged from hospital. During follow-up, one recipient died of severe infection 7 months after transplant. All remaining patients returned to work and had a good quality of life after 5, 3 and 2 years, respectively.
Conclusions: Lung transplantation offers effective therapy for patients with end-stage silicosis.