Lung transplantation is a form of treatment for patients suffering from advanced lung disease and is being considered when the possibilities of drug therapy are exhausted and remaining life expectancy has dropped to two or three years due to the illness. The underlying diseases, which in most cases gradually induce severe breathing difficulties, frequent infections, and pulmonary fibrosis, are either congenital (such as cystic fibrosis – a congenital disease characterised by thick, sticky mucus blocking the respiratory tract) or are caused by increased vascular resistance and increased blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation (pulmonary hypertension).

Depending on the underlying disease, one lung, both lungs, or one or more pulmonary lobes are being transplanted. The outcome of lung transplantations has improved significantly over the past ten years. At the end-stage of the disease process, lung transplantation is the only remaining treatment option for patients. In recent years, children with lung diseases have had the possibility of so-called living-donor lung transplantation. This procedure consists of transplanting one pulmonary lobe each from two living donors into a – in the majority of cases – very young recipient.