[Lung transplant in patients with sarcoidosis: 2 case reports and a pathophysiologic review]

Lung transplantation is an appropriate therapeutic option for patients with advanced sarcoidosis that has not responded to medical treatment. The causes of sarcoidosis are unknown and the course of disease and prognosis are highly variable. As it is difficult to determine the ideal timing for a transplant or the type of transplant to perform, this may influence the high perioperative mortality in these patients. Postoperative morbidity and mortality rates are high when pulmonary hypertension is present before the transplant or when primary graft failure, acute rejection, infection, or other complications develop afterwards. We describe 2 patients with a diagnosis of end-stage sarcoidosis who received a lung transplant and a heart-lung transplant. The outcomes were different in each case. We analyze factors related to morbidity and mortality that determined the outcomes.