Lung transplantation: state of the art

Since the first long term successful single lung transplant in 1983, followed by a successful double lung transplant in 1986, lung transplantation has become established world-wide as an accepted option in the treatment of end-stage respiratory disease of various etiologies. Both procedures carry acceptable morbidity and mortality rates with the actuarial 5 year survivor rate of 80%. Single or double lung transplantation offers many advantages over heart-lung transplantation and is gradually supplanting the latter in most centers with certain exceptions. Differentiating injection from rejection continues to be a major problem but with added experience and new diagnostic tools this obstacle will be overcome.