Clinical aspects of lung transplantation.

Lung transplantation, which was a universally unsuccessful procedure at the start of the last decade, has now become a viable therapeutic option. Improvements in operative technique, patient selection, and immunosuppression have contributed to the dramatic improvement in outcome. Few aspects of lung transplantation are standardized, and the procedure is being continually refined. Actuarial 1 year survival rates are approaching 70%, and it appears that these rates will continue to improve. Scarity of donor lungs is rapidly becoming a serious impediment to the performance of lung transplantation in the United States.