Surgical therapy of chronic lung allograft dysfunction.

ABSTRACT

Lung transplantation has become a standardized and widely accepted treatment modality for selected end-stage lung diseases. Many factors influ- ence the long-term survival of patients after lung transplantation. One of the most important is clearly the development of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). This review summarizes current knowledge of the histopathology of CLAD and its clinical characteristics. It also describes lung re-transplantation as the only causal therapy, its possible complications, and outcomes in standard and high-urgency patients awaiting a suitable organ with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. Fundoplication is an important surgical modality potentially leading to an improvement of the patients' condition. The indications and outcomes of this surgical procedure are discussed in a separate chapter. In addition, several nonsurgical treatment options aimed at slowing the progression of CLAD are outlined, as well as ongoing research focused on extending the life of these patients.