Thoracoscopic native lung pneumonectomy after single lung transplant: initial experience with 2 cases

Single lung transplants (SLTs) leave in place a diseased lung, a potential source of complications. Native lung pneumonectomy is occasionally indicated. We present 2 cases of native lung complications (NLCs) managed with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) pneumonectomy at our institution, a procedure never reported in this context before. Case 1 involves a 59-year old gentleman with refractory, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis of the native lung, 5 years after SLT for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Case 2 involves a 66-year old gentleman with α-1 antitrypsin deficiency who developed severe haemoptysis and intraparenchymal haemorrhage in the native lung 12 years after SLT. A VATS pneumonectomy was performed in both cases because we believed it would facilitate wound healing and hasten recovery in immunosuppressed patients. Our short-term results align with this hypothesis. We conclude that VATS pneumonectomy is a feasible, adequate and safe procedure in this patient population; larger series are needed to draw definitive conclusions.