Patent 06601585 - Expandable snoring implant > Claims
1. A method for treating snoring of a patient, said method comprising: selecting an implant dimensioned so as to be implanted into a soft palate of said patient, said implant formed of a flexible material formed to define an implant perimeter having a rest geometry and defining an internal area when said implant is at rest, said implant having mechanical characteristics for said implant, at least in combination with a fibrotic tissue response induced by said implant, to alter a dynamic response of said soft palate to air flow past said soft palate without application of force external to said soft palate; collapsing said implant to a collapsed state to narrow said implant perimeter; implanting said implant in said collapsed state into said soft palate with said implant in contact with living tissue within said soft palate; permitting said implant to expand toward said rest state within said soft palate; leaving said implant within said soft palate. 2. A method according to claim 1 comprising selecting said implant to have a longitudinal dimension and a narrower transverse dimension and said implant being flexible along said longitudinal dimension and implanting said implant within said soft palate with said longitudinal dimension extending in a path generally from a front of said patient toward a back of said patient. 3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said implant has a stiffness, at least in combination with said fibrotic tissue response, selected to stiffen said soft palate to alter said dynamic response following said implantation without substantially impairing a function of said soft palate to close a nasal passage of said patient from a pharynx of said patient during swallowing. 4. A method according to claim 3 wherein said implant has a low stiffness insufficient to stiffen said soft palate to alter said dynamic response following said implantation without contributing stiffness of said fibrotic tissue response.
5. A method according to claim 1 wherein said implant is formed at least in part from nitinol. 6. A method according to claim 1 wherein said implant includes a surface adapted for tissue in-growth. 7. A method according to claim 6 wherein at least a portion of said implant is a polyester.
8. A method according to claim 1 wherein said implant includes a radiopaque marking. 9. A method according to claim 1 wherein said implant is an injectable polymer injected into said soft palate. 10. A method according to claim 1 wherein said implant is implanted with a plane of said implant generally parallel to an anterior-posterior plane of said patient. 11. A method according to claim 1 wherein said implant is inserted with said internal area uncovered and open to surrounding tissue. 12. A method according to claim 1 wherein said implant is completely implanted into said soft palate. 13. A method according to claim 1 wherein said implant is urged toward said rest state by a natural bias of a material of said implant.
14. An apparatus for treating snoring of a patient suffering from snoring attributable, at least in part, to a snoring-sound-generating oscillation of a soft palate of said patient in response to airflow past said soft palate and where said soft palate has a characteristic dynamic response to said airflow prior to treatment, said apparatus comprising: an implant of bio-compatible material dimensioned so as to be implanted into said soft palate, said implant formed of a flexible material formed to define an implant perimeter having a rest geometry and surrounding an internal area when said implant is at rest, said implant having mechanical characteristics for said implant, at least in combination with a fibrotic tissue response induced by said implant, to alter said dynamic response of said soft palate to air flow past said soft palate without application of force external to said soft palate; said implant collapsible to a collapsed state to narrow said implant perimeter during implantation into said soft palate and expandable within said soft palate toward said rest geometry. 15. An implant according to claim 14 wherein said implant has a longitudinal dimension and a smaller transverse dimension, said implant being flexible along said longitudinal dimension. 16. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said implant is formed at least in part from nitinol. 17. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said implant includes a surface adapted for tissue in-growth. 18. An apparatus according to claim 17 wherein at least an outer surface of said implant is a polyester.
19. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said implant includes a radiopaque marking. 20. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said implant is an injectable polymer injected into said soft palate. 21. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said implant is sized to be implanted with a plane of said implant generally parallel to an anterior-posterior plane of said patient. 22. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said internal area is uncovered and open to surrounding tissue following implantation. 23. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said implant is sized to be completely implanted into said soft palate. 24. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said implant is urged toward said rest state by a natural bias of a material of said implant.