Living-donor single-lobe lung transplantation for bronchiolitis obliterans in a 4-year-old boy

Various combinations of living and deceased donors for lung retransplantation-a single institutional retrospective study

OBJECTIVES

Lung retransplantation has been performed as a treatment option mainly for chronic lung allograft dysfunction; however, the outcomes of lung retransplantation have been reported to be worse than those of primary lung transplantation. Because of the scarcity of deceased donors in our country, our lung transplant experience includes both living and deceased donors. Therefore, we have experienced lung retransplantation cases with various combinations of living and deceased donors. The aim of this study was to explore technical pitfalls and outcomes of lung retransplantation in this unique environment.

METHODS

We performed 311 lung transplantation procedures between April 2002 and October 2022. Eight lung retransplantation cases (2.6%) were analysed retrospectively.

RESULTS

At lung retransplantation, the age of the recipient patients ranged from 11 to 61 years (median, 33 years). The combinations of donor sources (primary lung transplantation/lung retransplantation) were as follows: 2 living/living, 2 deceased/living, 3 living/deceased and 1 deceased/deceased. Seven of 8 patients received lung retransplantation for chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Hospital death occurred in 2 patients (25.0%). The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates after lung retransplantation (n = 8) were 75.0%, 75.0% and 75.0%, respectively, while those after primary lung transplantation (n = 303) were 92.8%, 83.4% and 76.4%, respectively (P = 0.162).

CONCLUSIONS

Lung retransplantation with various combinations of living and deceased donors is a technically difficult but feasible procedure with acceptable outcomes.

Current trends in thoracic surgery

Thoracic surgery has evolved drastically in recent years. Although thoracic surgeons mainly deal with tumorous lesion in the lungs, mediastinum, and pleura, they also perform lung transplantation surgery in patients with end-stage lung disease. Herein, we introduce various major current topics in thoracic surgery. Minimally invasive surgical procedures include robot-assisted thoracic surgery and uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery. Novel techniques for sublobar resection include virtual-assisted lung mapping, image-guided video-assisted thoracic surgery, and segmentectomy using indocyanine green. Three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) simulation consists of surgeon-friendly 3D-CT image analysis systems and new-generation, dynamic 3D-CT imaging systems. Updates in cadaveric lung transplantation include use of marginal donors, including donation after circulatory death, and ex vivo lung perfusion for such donors. Topics in living donor lobar lung transplantation include size matching, donor issues, and new surgical techniques. During routine clinical practice, thoracic surgeons encounter various pivotal topics related to thoracic surgery, which are described in this report.

Severe scoliosis with an impaired pulmonary allograft function after pediatric unilateral lung transplantation

Left-unilateral single-lobe lung transplantation from a living donor was performed in a 4-year-old boy who suffered from severe respiratory failure caused by bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) as a result of graft versus host disease (GVHD) after peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). The patient grew well during his early childhood years, with an excellent lung allograft function. However, severe thoracic scoliosis occurred 7 years after lung transplantation, which ultimately resulted in compression of the lung allograft followed by severe respiratory dysfunction, and the patient became dependent on mechanical ventilation support. Posterior spinal fusion of Th2-L3 with instrumentation and bone grafting was performed to correct scoliosis in the hope of recovering his thoracic capacity. The left thoracic volume was dramatically improved immediately after spinal fusion surgery, and the patient was ultimately weaned off of mechanical ventilation after a year of pulmonary rehabilitation.

[Clinical analysis of lung transplantation in eight patients with obstructive bronchiolitis syndrome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation]

目的

探讨肺移植治疗异基因造血干细胞移植（allo-HSCT）后闭塞性细支气管炎综合征（BOS）终末期的疗效。

方法

回顾性分析8例肺移植治疗allo-HSCT后BOS终末期病例的临床资料。

结果

8例患者均因血液系统恶性肿瘤行allo-HSCT，allo-HSCT时中位年龄为23（12~40）岁，供者为父母或同胞兄弟姐妹。8例患者allo-HSCT后发生严重BOS，行肺移植时的中位年龄为27.5（13~47）岁。allo-HSCT和肺移植的中位间隔时间是69（21~132）个月。中位随访时间为15（6~63）个月，7例存活，1例患者肺移植术后15个月死于肺出血。存活患者中有3例再发BOS，其中1例再次行肺移植术并获得成功。

结论

肺移植术是治疗allo-HSCT后BOS终末期患者的一种有效手段。

Solid organ transplantation following allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation: experience from a referral organ transplantation center and systematic review of literature

Solid organ transplantation (SOT) following haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a rare event. Uncertainty exists whether such recipients are at higher risk of relapse of underlying haematological disease or at increased risk of developing infectious or immunological complications and malignancies following SOT. The experience at our referral organ transplantation center and the present literature of SOT (n = 198) in recipients following previous HCT was systematically reviewed. Outcome analysis of 206 SOT recipients following HCT challenges the validity of the frequently stated comparable outcome with recipients without prior HCT. SOT recipients after HCT are younger and have a higher mortality and morbidity in comparison with "standard" recipients. Rejection rates for SOT recipients following HCT appear to be lower for all organs, except for liver transplantation. In the setting of liver transplantation following HCT, mortality for recipients of deceased donor grafts appears to be exceptionally high, although experience with grafts of living donors are favourable. Morbidity was mostly associated with infectious and malignant complications. Of note some SOT recipients who received solid organ donation from the same HCT donor were able to achieve successful withdrawal of immune suppression. Despite limited follow-up, recipients with prior HCT show a different course after SOT, necessitating attention and closer follow-up.

Three-dimensional image in lung transplantation

Three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) technologies have been developed and, recently, high-speed and high-quality 3D-CT technologies have been introduced to the field of thoracic surgery. The purpose of this manuscript is to demonstrate the clinical application of 3D-CT technologies in lung transplantation. In Japan, because of the severe donor shortage, living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) is essential, in addition to cadaveric lung transplantation. In LDLLT, size matching is a grave issue, since ideal size matching between donor and recipient is usually difficult because of the limited population of potential donor. Size matching using pulmonary function test results has been widely used as a gold standard, but anatomical size matching using 3D-CT volumetry data has also been utilized in LDLLT. In donor lobectomy, 3D-CT images provided a variety of information regarding anatomical variation of pulmonary vessels and bronchial trees preoperatively. These images ensure surgical quality and safety, and they also affect surgical procedures for the recipient. 3D-CT images are also utilized in various aspects of postoperative care, such as detection of chronic lung allograft dysfunction and clarification of its subtypes. Furthermore, preoperative 3D-CT simulation is useful in developing and performing a special surgical procedure, such as right-to-left inverted LDLLT. In conclusion, following the introduction of 3D-CT to the field of thoracic surgery, various 3D-CT images and their application to preoperative simulations have been introduced in lung transplantation. In the near future, this technique will become more prevalent, and frequent use by thoracic surgeons will be seen worldwide in daily practice.

Solid organ transplantation following end-organ failure in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an accepted treatment modality for various malignant and non-malignant disorders of the lympho-hematopoietic system. Patient survival rate has increased significantly with the use of this procedure. However, with the increase in disease-free patient survival rates, complications including various organ toxicities are also common. Kidney, liver, lung, heart, and skin are among those solid organs that are commonly affected and frequently lead to organ dysfunction and eventually end-organ disease. Conservative measures may or may not be successful in managing the organ failure in these patients. Solid organ transplantation has been shown to be promising in those patients who fail conservative management. This review will summarize the causes of solid organ (kidney, liver, and lung) dysfunction and the available data on transplantation of these solid organs in post-HSCT recipients.

Lung transplantation following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: report of two cases and systematic review of literature

BACKGROUND

Non-infectious pulmonary complications following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are major cause of morbidity and mortality with limited treatment options. Lung transplantation (LT) has been rarely reported as a treatment option for selected HSCT recipients with these problems.

OBJECTIVE

Describe the outcome of HSCT recipients who underwent LT.

METHODS

Two cases of LT following HSCT from our institution are presented. Cases reported in literature were identified using English language PubMed/MEDLINE with keywords hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, bone marrow transplantation, or bronchiolitis obliterans cross-referenced with lung transplantation. We extracted data on baseline characteristics and survival data following LT.

RESULTS

Total of 84 patients are analyzed. Age at time of LT was median of 22 yr (range 1-66). Seventy-nine patients were recipients of allogeneic HSCT. The indications for LT were bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS; 63 patients), pulmonary fibrosis (13 patients), BOS/pulmonary fibrosis (five patients), and graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) of lung (three patients). The median time between HSCT and LT was 52.3 months (range 6-240). The median follow-up after LT was 36 months (range 0-168). During this time, BOS was documented in 25 patients. Relapse of hematological malignancy was reported in two patients, and new malignancy developed in four patients. At the end of follow-up, 60 patients were alive and 24 patients died. The probability of survival following LT at 24 and 36 months was 0.88 (95% CI 0.78-0.93) and 0.79 (95% CI 0.67-0.87), respectively.

CONCLUSION

LT is a potential therapeutic option in selected patients with severe chronic pulmonary disease following HSCT. Further studies are needed to determine the appropriate timing and the outcome of this approach.

Outcomes of lung transplantation after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Other than lung transplantation (LT), no specific therapies exist for end-stage lung disease resulting from hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT)-related complications, such as bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). We report the indications and outcomes in patients who underwent LT after HCT for hematologic disease from a retrospective case series at our institution and a review of the medical literature. We identified a total of 70 cases of LT after HCT, including 9 allogeneic HCT recipients from our institution who underwent LT between 1990 and 2010. In our cohort, the median age was 16 years (range, 10 to 35 years) at the time of HCT and 34 years (range, 17 to 44 years) at the time of LT, with a median interval between HCT and LT of 10 years (range, 2.9 to 27 years). Indications for LT-included pulmonary fibrosis (n = 4), BOS (n = 3), interstitial pneumonitis related to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) (n = 1), and primary pulmonary hypertension (n = 1). Median survival was 49 months (range, 2 weeks to 87 months), and 1 patient remains alive at more than 3 years after LT. Survival at 1 year and 5 years after LT was 89% and 37%, respectively. In the medical literature between 1992 and July 2013, we identified 20 articles describing 61 cases of LT after HCT from various centers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Twenty-six of the 61 cases (43%) involved patients age <18 years at the time of LT. BOS and GVHD of the lung were cited as the indication for LT in the majority of cases (80%; n = 49), followed by pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease (20%; n = 12). In publications reporting 3 or more cases with a follow-up interval ranging from the immediate postoperative period to 16 years, the survival rate was 71% (39 of 55). Most deaths were attributed to long-term complications of the lung allograft, including infections and BOS. Two deaths were related to recurrent or relapsed hematologic malignancy. LT can prolong survival in some patients who suffer from end-stage pulmonary complications after HCT. Patient factors that likely improve the chances of a good long-term outcome include young age, at least 2 years post-HCT free of relapse from the original hematologic malignancy, and lack of other end-organ dysfunction or manifestations of chronic GVHD that require treatment with immunosuppressive agents.

Adaptation over a wide range of donor graft lung size discrepancies in living-donor lobar lung transplantation

Living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT), unlike deceased donor lung transplantation, often involves a wide range of size discrepancies between donors and recipients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the function of donor lung grafts in the recipient thorax in 14 cases of bilateral LDLLT involving 28 successfully transplanted lower-lobe grafts. Pulmonary function tests and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) volumetry were performed perioperatively. According to 3D-CT size matching, donor graft volumes ranged from 40% to 161% of the hemilateral thoracic volumes of the recipients. Graft forced vital capacity (FVC) values increased over time, reaching 102 ± 39% of preoperatively estimated values at 12 months postoperatively. Graft volumes also increased over time, reaching 120 ± 38% of the original values at 12 months postoperatively. Undersized donor grafts expanded more after LDLLT than oversized donor grafts, producing greater FVC values than those estimated preoperatively, whereas oversized donor grafts became inflated to their original size and maintained FVC values that approached the preoperative estimates. Thus, donor grafts were found to overinflate or underinflate to the extent that they could preserve their native function in the new recipient's environment.

Delayed chest closure assessed by transesophageal echocardiogram in single-lobe lung transplantation

A 6-year-old girl with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia successfully underwent living-donor right single-lobe lung transplantation from her mother. Her mother's right lower lobe was 207% bigger than her right chest cavity, and attempting chest closure caused significant compression and narrowing of the right pulmonary vein anastomosis, as assessed by transesophageal echocardiogram. Her chest was temporarily closed without rib approximation. The following day, her chest could be completely closed. The pulmonary vein anastomosis, confirmed by transesophageal echocardiogram, was now patent. Currently, 7 months after the transplantation, she is well without limitations.

Less maintenance immunosuppression in lung transplantation following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from the same living donor

Living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) is one of the final options for saving patients with pulmonary complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We retrospectively investigated 19 patients who had undergone LDLLT after HSCT in Japan. Eight patients underwent LDLLT after HSCT in which one of the donors was the same living donor as in HSCT (SD group), while 11 received LDLLT from relatives who were not the HSCT donors (non-SD group). In the SD group, three patients underwent single LDLLT. The 5-year survival rate was 100% and 58% in the SD and non-SD groups, respectively. In the SD group, postoperative immunosuppression was significantly lower than in the non-SD group. Two patients died of infection and one died of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) in the non-SD group, while only one patient died of PTLD 7 years after LDLLT in the SD group. Hematologic malignancy relapsed in two patients in the non-SD group. For the three single LDLLTs in the SD group, immunosuppression was carefully tapered. In our study, LDLLT involving the same donor as for HSCT appeared to have advantages related to lower immunosuppression compared to LDLLT from relatives who were not the HSCT donors.

Comparison of pulmonary function test and computed tomography volumetry in living lung donors

BACKGROUND

We previously proposed calculating forced vital capacity (FVC) by the number of segments for size matching in living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT). The primary purpose of this study was to compare spirometry-obtained calculations of lower lobe volumes with three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) volumetric images. Our second goal was to compare the data of pulmonary function tests with CT volumetry in living lung donors.

METHODS

Pulmonary function test, including FVC and total lung capacity (TLC), and 3D CT volumetry were performed pre-operatively in 21 healthy donor candidates for LDLLT. The relationship of 3D CT volumetric data and calculated volume of lower lobes by the number of segments was investigated. Also studied were 3D CT volumetric data in relation to FVC and TLC. Various pre-operative variables were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

According to 3D CT volumetry, the right and left lower lobe volume was 26.3% ± 2.9% and 22.6% ± 3.1% of the total lung volume, respectively. We found a significant, strong correlation between each lower lobe volume and the total lung volume. Because the calculated volumes of right and left lower lobes by the number of segments were 26.3% and 21.1%, respectively, our results implied that the volume of both lower lobes was accurately described by the number of segments. FVC was significantly associated with TLC and the total lung volume.

CONCLUSIONS

We confirmed that it would be justified to estimate graft FVC by the number of segments according to the CT volumetric data in LDLLT.