Bronchial Thermoplasty

Bronchial thermoplasty is a new, FDA-approved therapy to give relief to people with severe asthma. It uses thermal energy to open constricted airways. Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the lung. Patients with severe asthma have a thickening of the smooth muscle that lines the airways. When that muscle contracts, it constricts the airway and makes it difficult to breathe. Medications are enough to keep the airway open for most people, but the 5 percent whose severe asthma is not well controlled by inhaled medications continue to be constricted. Bronchial thermoplasty is for people who require a high dose of inhaled steroids and a long-acting beta agonist to control their significant asthma. The procedure uses a specially designed catheter and electrode array to deliver a precise amount of radiofrequency (heat) energy to remove the excess smooth muscle. The treatment is performed in three outpatient procedures, typically three weeks apart. A clinical trial is attempting to determine if the beneficial treatment effect extends five years beyond the therapy.