Left lower lobar lung transplant

Abstract

A lung transplant is an effective therapeutic option for selected patients with end-stage lung diseases. The shortage of donors is a major limitation for this life-saving therapy, especially in patients with small body sizes or with reduced thoracic cavities, who usually wait longer for grafts with adequate dimensions. Nonanatomic or sublobar graft resections can be sufficient in cases of a small size discrepancy between the donor and the recipient; however, in cases of a greater size mismatch, lobar reduction is mandatory but, because of the associated technical difficulties, only a few centers have adopted this procedure as part of their routine clinical practice. We describe a left upper lobectomy performed at the back table and the subsequent implantation of the left lower lobe in the recipient's chest cavity.

Keywords: Lobar transplantation; Lung transplant; Size-mismatch; Sizing.