BOSTON -- A new procedure is giving hope to people with severe asthma.

As NewsCenter 5's Kelley Tuthill reported, local researchers say it could revolutionize the way asthma sufferers are treated.

From the time Peter Smith was diagnosed with severe asthma at 16, he needed countless medications to control his symptoms. But after undergoing an experimental procedure, he is breathing easier.

"I don't worry or think about asthma that much," said Smith, of Framingham, Mass.

Dr. Michael Wechsler and a team of researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital recently wrapped up testing of an innovative asthma treatment called bronchial thermoplasty.

"This procedure aims to try and really break down the smooth muscle in the airways to try and prevent the ultimate symptoms that cause asthma," Wechsler said.

During the procedure, doctors snake a tiny camera down the patient's windpipe, into the airways that fill their lungs. They apply bursts of heat to burn off the overgrown muscle that blocks the airways.

"Four out of five patients treated with the (bronchial) thermoplasty had a sign of improvement in their asthma quality," he said.

In a study of 297 patients with severe asthma from around the world, including Boston, patients who underwent three treatments of bronchial thermoplasty had a 32 percent reduction in asthma attacks, and an 84 percent reduction in emergency room visits.

Smith does not rely on his medication the way he used to. "I've got younger lungs," Smith said.

Patients have said the procedure can be a bit uncomfortable. And there are some side effects immediately afterward.

"Some increased inflammation and increased asthma," Wechsler said.

The procedure has only been tested on adults. It is awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. for the treatment of severe asthma.