Asthma Surgery: New Procedure Treats Asthma

A new procedure called bronchial thermoplasty approved this past Spring for treating asthma, and now more widely available, can permanently reverse asthma. Using radiofrequency energy, the device applies heat inside the bronchial passage, which shrinks the smooth muscle lining the airways (typically thickened in asthma patients), and literally opens up the lungs to more oxygen. Some patients have been followed for up to 4 years after treatment with the new device, and the smooth muscle has remained thin. The procedure carries potential complications, including lung collapse, and is considered only for severe cases in which drugs are proving inadequate.

Read more about this in The Wall Street Journal.