title: Meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of bronchial thermoplasty in patients with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma.
abstract: This meta-analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of a novel intervention for asthma, bronchial thermoplasty (BT), in patients with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma. An electronic literature search identified three randomized controlled trials (RCT) of BT that recruited 421 patients in total. Outcomes of interest were the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) score, morning peak expiratory flow (PEF), tolerability and safety. Compared with standard medications and sham BT treatment, BT significantly improved AQLQ scores and PEF from baseline to the end of the trials. There were more respiratory adverse events and hospitalizations for adverse respiratory events with BT than with medications or sham treatment during the treatment period, but most events resolved, on average, within a week. This effect of BT treatment was not seen during the posttreatment period. Additional long-term RCT are required to confirm whether BT provides benefit to patients with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Building H, Avenida Wai Long, Macau 999078, China. qbwu@must.edu.mo
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D001980:Bronchi / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010919:Placebos; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012107:Research Design; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001993:Bronchodilator Agents; D010919:Placebos