Background: Single lung transplantation and recently thoracoscopic lung reduction (TLR) have become surgical alternatives to manage emphysema. We report here early outcomes of 10 single lung transplant (SLT) recipients with severe emphysema compared with 10 patients treated with unilateral TLR.
Methods: Ten consecutive recipients of (SLT) and 10 patients undergoing unilateral TLR were studied. Both groups had measurements of preoperative pulmonary function and arterial blood gases. Hemodynamic measurements were made by use of a right ventricular ejection fraction/volumetric pulmonary artery catheter during and immediately after surgery in both groups to compare hemodynamic and gas exchange response in each procedure. Pulmonary function tests were repeated 3 months and 1 year after surgery. Complications and functional outcome are reported.
Results: Both groups had the same severity of obstructive disease (mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second = 20% +/- 5% for the SLT group and 23% +/- 9% for the TLR group) and similar patterns of right ventricular dysfunction. During operation, SLT recipients showed worse hypercapnia and pulmonary hypertension than TLR subjects when ventilation and perfusion to the operative lung were interrupted. Patients undergoing TLR only had interrupted ventilation, which was transiently reversed when severe hypoventilation or hypoxemia occurred. All patients undergoing TLR were extubated immediately after surgery. SLT recipients were extubated an average of 42 hours later. Pulmonary function testing performed 3 months after surgery showed improvement in both groups. SLT recipients showed larger improvements in airflow but comparable improvements in forced vital capacity. Both groups achieved similar improvements in gas exchange. This trend continued a year after surgery. Patients undergoing TLR were not subjected to complications of immunosuppressive therapy or exposed to opportunistic infections.
Conclusions: Early results show TLR as an acceptable alternative to SLT in carefully selected patients with the same severity of obstructive lung disease. Long-term follow-up studies are needed to establish long-term differences in functional outcome and development of complications. TLR may be an option for patients with severe dyspnea related to emphysema who do not meet criteria for transplantation.