Intermediate outcomes of right-to-left inverted living-donor lobar lung transplantation

Owing to the severe donor shortage in Japan, living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) remains a valuable option. As only lobes are implanted in LDLLT, grafts may be too small, especially for adult recipients. To overcome this obstacle, we developed right-to-left inverted LDLLT. In this procedure, the right lower lobe, which is 25% bigger than the left lower lobe, is used as the left-side graft instead of the left lower lobe. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and intermediate outcomes of right-to-left inverted LDLLT.

Since the first right-to-left inverted LDLLT performed in 2014, 48 LDLLTs have been performed in our institution, of which 15 were right-to-left inverted LDLLTs. We reviewed their characteristics and intermediate outcomes.

The reasons for choosing an inverted procedure instead of the standard LDLLT were small-for-size graft in 11 cases and anatomical variation of donor vessels in 4 cases. The first patient underwent left single LDLLT using a right lower lobe graft, and the following 14 patients underwent bilateral LDLLT using 2 right lower lobe grafts. A native upper lobe-sparing procedure was additionally applied in 2 patients. No complications occurred in the bronchial and vascular anastomoses. No operative mortality occurred, and all the patients were discharged home after LDLLT. The 3-year survival was 92.3%, with a median follow-up time of 40 months. The donor postoperative course was uneventful, and all the donors returned to their regular routine postoperatively.

Right-to-left inverted LDLLT is a safe and useful option with encouraging intermediate outcome.