Preoperative assessment for lung transplantation.

Lung transplantation has evolved from an intellectual curiosity to a viable therapeutic option in a selected number of patients with end-stage lung disease. The indications for single lung, double lung, or heart-lung transplantation at major North American transplant centers are presented, the selection criteria are discussed, and the standard preoperative evaluation is outlined. Utilizing these guidelines, a 1-year actuarial survival following each of these procedures of greater than 60% can be expected.