According to early results of clinical trials, the procedure (called bronchial thermoplasty) has been shown to improve pulmonary function, quality of life and asthma control nearly six months after treatment. Patients in the study also experienced a gradual reduction in use of oral corticosteroid medications.

Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the body's bronchial (airway) tissues. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, approximately 20 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma, including nearly 9 million children. People with asthma experience shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughing and wheezing. These symptoms intensify during an asthma attack, which occurs when exposure to allergens or other stimuli further inflame the airways, leading to an inability to expel trapped air from the lungs. Most asthma attacks are mild, but even people with mild asthma can have a fatal attack, and more than 5,000 deaths a year are attributed to the condition.

Bronchial thermoplasty applies heat to the airway through a tube called a bronchoscope, which is placed down the patient's throat and into the windpipe. The heat helps relax the smooth muscles of the bronchi and prevent airway constriction that causes asthma attacks.

"Following bronchial thermoplasty, patients with severe, refractory asthma demonstrated significant improvements in pulmonary function and asthma control," Dr. Neil Thomson, one of the lead researchers, said in a press release.

The Research in Severe Asthma (RISA) Trial was conducted at eight hospitals in three countries and included 32 adult patients with severe asthma. All continued to have asthma symptoms despite taking regular asthma medications. Researchers divided participants into two groups: those treated with the bronchial thermoplasty as well as standard asthma medications and those treated with only medications.

They found that patients receiving the dual treatment had significantly better results nearly six months after the procedure than patients taking only medication. After a year, half of the bronchial thermoplasty patients were able to stop taking oral corticosteroids compared to only 14 percent of the patients who did not receive the treatment. In addition, patients who underwent bronchial thermoplasty showed overall reduction in corticosteroid use one year later.

However, the researchers noted that the thermoplasty treatments caused an expected increase in respiratory-related symptoms immediately following the procedures. Some patients required hospitalizations, but their symptoms cleared up about seven days later.

Added Thomson: "These significant and seemingly long-lasting improvements came at the cost of a short-term increase in hospitalizations, but the apparent benefits seem to be greater than the manageable consequences of the procedure."

The new procedure is an investigational device and not available for general use in the United States.

Results of the clinical trial were presented May 23 at the annual scientific meeting of the American Thoracic Society (ATS).

Copyright 2007 iVillage Total Health.