Bronchial Thermoplasty

Asthma is a very common medical condition that affects millions of people across the world. Bronchial asthma is an inflammatory disease that affects one's airways and causes the sufferer to experience a variety of discomforting symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and tightness of chest. While mild asthma might be manageable, in severe cases, it could give rise to a life-threatening situation. When one suffers from an asthma attack, the airways get inflamed to such an extent, that these might get constricted and the person might experience severe breathing problems due to an insufficient supply of oxygen to the lungs. Though asthma can be treated with the help of inhalers or bronchodilators, sometimes these may not provide relief. Studies have been going on for developing an effective treatment option for chronic bronchial asthma. Bronchial thermoplasty is one such treatment that is currently being used on those who haven't benefited from drugs. Wondering how does this non-drug procedure help in treating asthma? Here's some information about the effectiveness of this procedure for the treatment of severe asthma.

Bronchial Thermoplasty

Procedure

Generally asthma treatment involves the use of inhalers that deliver small doses of corticosteroids so as to reduce the inflammation in the airways. If the use of inhaled steroids or other asthma medications doesn't seem to help, doctors might recommend this procedure. This is a minimally-invasive procedure that is performed under mild anesthesia. It is performed in three outpatient procedure visits. A device called bronchoscope is passed through the nose and throat. Once the bronchoscope passes through the airway passages and is properly positioned in the lungs, a catheter is inserted. The catheter's tip is inflated so that it comes in contact with the sides of the airway wall. The catheter acts as the vehicle for the delivery of the ablating agent, which in this case is the radio frequency energy. The smooth muscle walls of the airways are then heated to a temperature of 149 degrees Fahrenheit. This aim of this procedure is to minimize the contraction of the airway smooth muscle. It is the constriction and contraction of this muscle that causes the airways to close. When that happens, the lungs don't receive sufficient amount of air and one suffers from breathing problems. Thinning down the smooth muscles of the airways limits the ability of the airways to constrict and that provides relief from the discomforting asthma symptoms.

Benefits and Side Effects

Since this bronchoscopic procedure is a relatively newer treatment, clinical studies are still going on to determine the effectiveness of this non-drug procedure for asthma control. Though this treatment does help in reducing the intensity of an asthma attack, it is not a complete cure. You will still experience the symptoms if asthma triggers are around. However, you will notice a considerable change in the intensity of asthma attacks. Some studies indicate that patients who had undergone this procedure paid fewer visits to the emergency room. Though the studies have revealed that this treatment considerably reduced the severity of the symptoms and did improve the quality of life of the patients, the long-term effects of this treatment are yet to be found out.

The ideal candidates of this treatment are people suffering from severe asthma. It is recommended only if drug therapy has been found to be ineffective. This bronchial asthma treatment is not meant for those who haven't completed 18 years of age. As is the case with any medical procedure, this bronchoscopic procedure can also cause certain side effects. For instance, delivering radio frequency can result in certain side effects. It might irritate the airways or cause a lung infection. Some people might experience side effects on account of administration of anesthesia. Though life-threatening side effects have not been seen, but long-term side effects are still not known. If you are suffering from chronic bronchial asthma, you can consult a pulmonologist to find out more about this procedure. Each treatment will cost you around $1,500. Since most people require a minimum of three sessions, you might end up paying anywhere between $4,500 to $5,000.

Bronchial thermoplasty has given hopes to those suffering from severe bronchial asthma. Though the long-term effects of this bronchoscopic procedure will be known only after elaborate studies are conducted, some of the clinic studies reveal that it has improved the quality of life for chronic asthma sufferers.