In vitro, in silico and in vivo study challenges the impact of bronchial thermoplasty on acute airway smooth muscle mass loss

Bronchial thermoplasty is a treatment for asthma. It is currently unclear whether its histopathological impact is sufficiently explained by the proportion of airway wall that is exposed to temperatures necessary to affect cell survival. Airway smooth muscle and bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to media (37–70°C) for 10 s to mimic thermoplasty. In silico we developed a mathematical model of airway heat distribution post-thermoplasty. In...