Lung transplantation in children.

Fewer than 50 pediatric lung transplants are performed each year. Surgical advances in the field have resulted in improved operative outcomes and in technical innovations that have broadened both the target population and the donor pool. At the same time, late referral of critically ill patients and shortage of donor organs result in death prior to transplantation for many children, and substantial biological barriers exist that prevent achievement of satisfactory long-term outcomes for the many who do undergo a successful surgical procedure. Until we can better understand and overcome these barriers, lung transplantation must be considered a palliative rather than curative procedure. In this article, a brief overview of pediatric lung transplantation is offered, and contributions to the recent literature are summarized.