Effective Options For Asthma Treatment

Bronchial Thermoplasty

A bronchial thermoplasty is used to treat severe cases of asthma. The procedure opens the airways by shrinking the muscles in the lungs that contract during asthma attacks. Since the muscles are smaller, their contractions don't cause such severe airway constriction. While the procedure won't cure asthma, it often provides long-term relief from the most serious symptoms. A bronchial thermoplasty is performed in a hospital, and rather than just one treatment, patients will undergo three sessions, typically one every three weeks. The treatment itself takes less than an hour, with each session treating a different portion of the lungs. Patients will be given anesthetic during the treatment, and they might also be given medication to numb the throat and mouth. The doctor will then thread a bronchoscope through the mouth, down the throat, and into the lung. Inside the bronchoscope is a small tube that warms the airway in that portion of the lung, causing the muscles to shrink.