Lung Biopsy Findings of Patients Who Have Undergone a Liver and Kidney Transplant

Objectives: Our objective was to analyze the incidence of pulmonary disorders in solid-organ transplant recipients and report on outcomes in these patients. Materials and Methods: Seventy liver and kidney transplant patients, who underwent lung biopsy because of pulmonary symptoms between January 2000 and December 2015, were enrolled in the study. We examined and evaluated histopathologic findings of these patients based on clinical data recorded in patients' files. Results: Patients' mean age was 44.5 +/- 16.4 years. Of 70 patients, 25 underwent liver transplant and 45 patients underwent kidney transplant. Forty-six patients received organs from living donors and 24 from deceased donors. Biopsy results of all patients included nonspecific findings (28), organized pneumonia (2), tuberculosis (6), fungal infections (11), tumors (5), amyloidosis (1), diffuse alveolar damage (4), mixed bacterial infection (1), and bronchopneumonia (12). Forty-two patients (60%) died within 54.1 +/- 53.3 months after transplant and 24.6 +/- 41.9 months after lung biopsy. Autopsies were performed on 14 patients. The causes of fatal lung diseases included fungal infections (8), malignant tumors (4), amyloidosis (1), diffuse alveolar damage (4), and mixed bacterial infection (1). Aspergillosis was the most frequently implicated lung infection, occurring in 54.5% of patients with fungal infections. Conclusions: Pulmonary diseases remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality in solid-organ transplant recipients. Fungal infection, especially aspergillosis, was the leading cause of early death in these patients.