Effectiveness of bronchial thermoplasty in patients with severe refractory asthma: Clinical and histopathologic correlations.

Background: The effectiveness of bronchial thermoplasty (BT) has been reported in patients with severe asthma, yet its effect on different bronchial structures remains unknown.

Objective: We sought to examine the effect of BT on bronchial structures and to explore the association with clinical outcome in patients with severe refractory asthma.

Methods: Bronchial biopsy specimens (n = 300) were collected from 15 patients with severe uncontrolled asthma before and 3 months after BT.