Bronchial thermoplasty: a non-pharmacological approach.

INTRODUCTION: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airway characterized by the episodic symptoms of breathlessness, wheezes and cough. Even with the use of maximum anti-asthmatic pharmacological treatment sometimes it remains uncontrolled. For such patients, bronchial thermoplasty is the new mode of treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To review published article on bronchial thermoplasty.

METHODS: We identified 102 English articles on PubMed, and 56 were excluded by the abstract. The remaining articles were retrieved for full-text detailed evaluation by authors, and 28 relevant articles were selected for final review.

RESULTS: Bronchial thermoplasty is the radiofrequency ablation of the airway smooth muscle with the help of flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope. It reduces the smooth muscle mass of the bronchial wall and decreases its contractility.

CONCLUSION: Bronchial thermoplasty causes improvement in the quality of life, and causes reduction in the emergency room visit and exacerbation due to asthma. Long-term safety has been established by various prospective studies.