COLUMBUS, Ind. -- A Columbus doctor is the first in the state to offer a breakthrough asthma treatment that doesn't involve drugs.

Dr. David Wilson with Columbus Regional Hospital has championed bronchial thermoplasty for treatment of severe, persistent asthma, 6News' Stacia Matthews reported.

A tiny tube is inserted through the patient's mouth and into the lungs, where the tip expands to deliver thermal energy to shrink excess smooth muscle that constricts the airways during an attack, Wilson said.

"It's exciting, and it fills a great treatment niche for those patients who've suffered way too long with missed work, missed school and all those kinds of symptoms that put a misery factor in their quality of life," he said.

The procedure last about an hour and patients go home the same day.

Ruth Shroer didn't get much relief from anti-inflammatory medicines, so she was prescribed steroids to try and control her asthma. But even after gaining 70 pounds, and subsequently developing diabetes, Shroer said she was still fighting to breathe.

When Wilson suggested bronchial thermoplasty, Shroer said she was nervous, but went ahead with the procedure.

She's now on the last of three treatments and doing well enough to reduce her attacks and need for steroids.

"My goal is to get off all the steroids," she said. "I've been on them for at least six years, to get off then maybe I can get my diabetes back in control."

Bronchial thermoplasty is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for patients 18 and older. It's not a cure, but Wilson said studies show the treatment last for five years.

Wilson is one of three doctors in the nation performing the procedure.

More Information: Lung Institute at Columbus Regional Hospital