CTICasesEn Bloc Heart-Lung Transplant (Post-Operative Anatomy)
Imaging findings
Chest radiograph and CT demonstrate a narrow mediastinum, an unusual, rotated orientation of the heart, and an absent pericardium. A single airway anastomosis is clearly visualized at the level of the trachea rather than at the bronchi. The donor heart and lungs float within the thorax, and the typical four-layered pleura of the anterior junction line is reduced to two layers.
Key takeaways
En bloc heart-lung transplantation is historically performed for patients with severe end-stage cardiopulmonary disease, such as pulmonary hypertension with irreversible right ventricular failure. Unlike separate heart and bilateral lung transplants, en bloc transplantation utilizes a single tracheal anastomosis and retains a unified donor cardiopulmonary block. The lack of standard pericardial and mediastinal attachments results in characteristic post-operative imaging findings, including cardiac rotation and alterations of the mediastinal junction lines.
AI-assisted summary — may contain errors. Verify against the source video. Learn more
More from this webinar
- Lupus-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease (Fibrotic NSIP with Cystic Changes)ILD
- Lobar TorsionIatrogenic
- Mixed Dust Pneumoconiosis (Desert Sand Exposure)Exposure
- Recurrent Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) Post-Lung TransplantILD
- Geliophysic DysplasiaCongenital
- Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) Post-Pulmonary EndarterectomyVascular
- Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Opposite Sinus (ACAOS) with Intramural CourseCongenital
- Pulmonary Amyloidosis (Cystic and Calcified)Metabolic
See all cases from August 28, 2021 →