Bronchial thermoplasty: Where there is smoke, there is fire

Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is the first nonpharmacologic interventional therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010 for severe asthma. This approval was based on randomized sham-controlled trial called Asthma Intervention Research (AIR) 2 published in 2010. BT involves the application of radiofrequency energy to airways with an aim to selectively ablate airway smooth muscle. BT is currently marketed for patients with "severe" asthma. Most practicing clinicians apply this severity category to patients with oral corticosteroid dependence, frequent exacerbations, or a significantly reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 second along with a poor quality of life. Did the patients studied in the AIR-2 trial have these clinical features? Was there a reduction in severe asthma exacerbation achieved in the intervention group? Did any of the primary or secondary end points in the AIR-2 trial show a positive signal? There continues to be controversy regarding patient selection and primary outcome. Its efficacy in the management of the patient with difficult-to-manage asthma is uncertain. This review covered pertinent aspects of BT, the design and results of the AIR-2 trial, and provides the practicing allergist with a comprehensive overview of this therapy.