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Asthma is an increasingly prevalent disease, particularly in industrialized countries. With modern treatment, many patients can expect good asthma control; however, a significant minority continue to have excessive symptoms. Bronchial thermoplasty is a novel approach to treating asthma in which the hypertrophied airway smooth muscle present in the asthmatic airway is specifically targeted and depleted using thermal energy. In this article, we review the early animal and human development of the technique, summarize the randomized trials carried out in patients to date, discuss proposed mechanisms of action, and suggest directions for future work.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Curr Allergy Asthma Rep

Publication Date

01/2009

Volume

9

Pages

88 - 95

Keywords

Animals, Asthma, Bronchi, Bronchoscopy, Humans, Muscle, Smooth, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic