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Bronchial Thermoplasty Results Hold Up After 5 Years: Presented at AAAAI By Ed Susman PHILADELPHIA -- March 20, 2008 -- Bronchial thermoplasty appears to be a safe treatment for patients with asthma and results in fewer night awakenings and reduced need for rescue medication after 5 years, researchers reported here at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting. "The absence of any qualitative complications based on computer-assisted tomography scans, functional complications based on spirometry, and clinical complications in 5-year postbronchial thermoplasty suggests this procedure has a satisfactory safety profile over the long term," said Gerard Cox, MB, Professor of Medicine and Director, Division of Respirology, Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Bronchial thermoplasty is an investigative procedure that involves the use of thermal energy to reduce the amount of airway smooth muscle of patients who have difficulty in controlling asthma despite medical interventions, Dr. Cox reported in his poster presentation on March 14. In their follow-up study, the researchers evaluated 16 patients who underwent the procedure over 5 years. According to results, no patient in the study required hospitalization for respiratory events during the 5-year follow-up, he said; there were 5 visits to the emergency room for respiratory events during that time. The occurrence of asthma symptoms -- cough, shortness of breath, sputum production, and night awakening -- reported by patients at the time of each annual visit remained stable over the course of the study, Dr. Cox reported. "There appears to be a decrease over time in the proportion of patients that experienced night awakenings and used rescue medication," he said. These decreased by 14% and 26% from baseline to year 5, respectively. One patient was lost to follow-up after 2 years. Computed tomography scans taken at baseline and throughout the study showed no significant changes in the airways, including stenosis or bronchiectasis, Dr. Cox said. Funding for this study was provided by Asthmatx, Inc. [Presentation title: Long-Term Safety of Bronchial Thermoplasty: Extended Follow-Up Out to 5 Years. Abstract 590] E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version