Radiologic findings in heart-lung transplantation: a preliminary experience

The chest radiographic findings and pulmonary radionuclide studies of four patients who underwent heart-lung transplantation between May 1983 and June 1986 were reviewed retrospectively. The two long-term survivors both developed bronchiolitis obliterans (presenting at 32 months postoperatively in the first patient and 14.5 months postoperatively in the second). The etiology of this is likely to be multifactorial and includes pulmonary rejection which may develop without concomitant cardiac rejection. The radiologist must be alert to this complication in heart-lung transplantation. The chest radiographs in our two patients showed diminution of peripheral bronchovascular markings and overinflation. The importance of careful screening of the radiographs of potential donors to detect pneumonia is emphasized. In one patient, a unilateral pneumothorax spread contralaterally due to the absence of normal anatomic barriers. The "reimplantation response" was not a prominent feature and was seen in one patient only. This response has been observed in heart-lung transplant recipients during the second postoperative week. The radiologic appearance is that of interstitial edema not explained by any clinical or hemodynamic findings.