How to predict forced vital capacity after living-donor lobar-lung transplantation

Living-donor lobar-lung transplantation (LDLLT) has evolved from a rarely performed experimental procedure to an accepted therapy for selected patients who are unlikely to survive the long wait for cadaveric lungs. However, a convincing study has not been performed that shows the effects of small grafts and of pre-operative variables in predicting functional outcome of recipients after LDLLT.

From October 1998 to March 2002, 2 male and 11 female patients underwent LDLLT. Mean age was 27.3 years (range, 8-53 years). Diagnoses included primary pulmonary hypertension (n = 5), idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (n = 2), bronchiolitis obliterans (n = 2), bronchiectasis (n = 2), lymphangioleiomyomatosis (n = 1), and cystic fibrosis (n = 1). Donors included 12 men and 14 women with a mean age of 40 years. Given that the right lower lobe consists of 5 segments, the left lower lobe of 4, and the whole lung of 19, we estimated the graft forced vital capacity (FVC) based on the donor's measured FVC and compared this with the recipient's FVC measured after LDLLT.

Currently, all patients are alive, with a mean follow-up of 22.2 months (range, 10-51 months). The recipients' FVC measured at 6 months (1,813 +/- 86 ml) correlated well with the graft FVC (1,803 +/- 70 ml), estimated based on the donors' measured FVC (r = 0.802, p = 0.00098).

Recipient FVC after LDLLT can be predicted by measuring donor FVC before surgery regardless of the diagnosis of the recipient.