Distribution of Pulmonary Blood Flow Before and After Autotransplantation Measured with Xenon-133

Abstract

Left lung autotransplantation was performed on 9 dogs. The technique used is described in detail. The pressure recordings before and after the autotransplantation were taken from the pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, left atrium and from the aorta. After the operation the pulmonary arterial pressures were measured both proximally and distally to the anastomosis. Distribution of the pulmonary blood flow before and after the autotransplantation was measured with Xenon-133. The measurement showed that both the systemic arterial and the pulmonary artery pressures decreased significantly due to hypovolaemia. Neither the left pulmonary arterial nor the left atrial anastomosis produced any pressure gradient. After the autotransplantation, the blood flow through the operated lung decreased 38.5% in comparison with the values prior to re-implantation. The problems associated with the feasibility of lung transplantation in a human being are discussed.