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Topic: Bronchial Thermoplasty
Title: The Role of Bronchial Thermoplasty in the Treatment of Severe Asthma
Presenter: Andrew Greenberg, MD, PhD
Date: May 18, 2011

For many patients with severe persistent asthma, the primary therapy includes inhaled corticosteroid at higher doses plus a long-acting inhaled beta 2-agonist.

However, Bronchial Thermoplasty is a fairly new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, non-drug surgical procedure used to alleviate severe persistent asthma for patients 18 years or older whose asthma is not well controlled with inhaled corticosteroids and long acting beta agonists.

Bronchial Thermoplasty is a bronchoscopic procedure that involves delivering energy (heat) at several locations in the major airways in order to reduce the mass of smooth airway muscle and decrease bronchial constriction in severe asthmatics.