Characteristics, Survival, and Outcomes of Lung and Heart-Lung Transplantation for Pulmonary Sarcoidosis in a Multicenter European Study Characteristics, Survival, and Outcomes of Lung and Heart-Lung Transplantation for Pulmonary Sarcoidosis in a Multicenter European Study

Abstract

In the context of sarcoidosis, lung transplantation is often performed in patients with irreversible advanced lung disease unresponsive to medical therapy. The clinical phenotypes and posttransplant survival remain unclear, due primarily to the recurring nature of the disease and extrapulmonary involvement. The objective of this study in a large multicenter European cohort was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis treated by lung transplantation. We retrospectively reviewed the data of 147 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis who underwent lung or heart-lung transplantation between 1990 and 2019 at 15 European centers. Inclusion criteria were sarcoidosis meeting international diagnostic criteria and availability of data from pretransplantation right heart catheterization, lung function testing, and chest computed tomography (CT) staged using a standardized system. At transplantation, mean age was 50±8 years, 62% were male, and 20% had extrapulmonary manifestations. Mean values before transplantation were as follows: FVC (%pred), 46±17%; FEV1 (%pred), 38±19; FVC/FEV1 (%), 55±32; DLCO (%pred), 31±13; mPAP (mmHg), 36±13; PCWP (mmHg), 10±5; cardiac index (L/min/m²), 3.0±0.8; and pulmonary vascular resistance (dyn·s·cm-5), 480±340; furthermore, 60% of patients had severe pulmonary hypertension. Posttransplant survival rates after 1, 3, and 5 years were 85%, 69%, and 63%, respectively. During the median [range] follow-up of 43 [17-79] months, 38% of patients developed chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Factors significantly associated with outcomes were high emergency transplantation, era of transplantation, preoperative extrapulmonary sarcoidosis, and extent of fibrosis by CT. Posttransplant survival rates and freedom from chronic lung allograft dysfunction in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis were similar to those in patients with other reasons for lung transplantation. Factors associated with worse outcomes were high emergency transplantation, earlier transplantation era, preoperative extrapulmonary sarcoidosis, and greater burden of fibrosis by CT.