Bronchial Thermoplasty-Induced Acute Airway Effects Assessed with Optical Coherence Tomography in Severe Asthma

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is an endoscopic treatment for severe asthma targeting airway smooth muscle (ASM) with radiofrequent energy. Although implemented worldwide, the effect of BT treatment on the airways is unclear. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel imaging technique, based on near-infrared light, that generates high-resolution cross-sectional airway wall images....