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US 12,636,073 B2Granted
Soft palate treatment
AssigneeAerin Medical Inc.
InventorsCharlton Yih, Yen Hai Tieu, Andrew Frazier, Scott J. Wolf, Fred Dinger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of treating a soft palate in a patient may involve advancing a tissue treatment portion of a soft palate treatment device through the patient's mouth, contacting a treatment surface of the tissue treatment portion with mucosal tissue of the soft palate, and delivering energy from the tissue treatment portion through the mucosal tissue to a target tissue in the soft palate beneath to the mucosal tissue, to change at least one property of the target tissue. The method may further involve cooling the mucosal tissue with a cooling member on the treatment surface of the tissue treatment portion and removing the tissue treatment portion from the mouth.
Claims25
A method of treating a soft palate in a patient, the method comprising:
- advancing a tissue treatment portion of a soft palate treatment device through a mouth of the patient, the tissue treatment portion having an elongate portion and a hook-shaped distal end configured to fit around an end of the soft palate, and having a treatment surface, the treatment surface comprising:
- a first longitudinal electrode positioned on a first lateral side of the tissue treatment portion and extending along a length of the tissue treatment portion from a proximal end of the tissue treatment portion to a distal end of the tissue treatment portion,
- a second longitudinal electrode positioned on a second lateral side of the tissue treatment portion and extending along the length of the tissue treatment portion from the proximal end of the tissue treatment portion to the distal end of the tissue treatment portion;
- and
- a cooling member positioned between the first and second longitudinal electrodes and extending along the length of the tissue treatment portion from the proximal end of the tissue treatment portion to the distal end of the tissue treatment portion;
- contacting mucosal tissue with the tissue treatment portion, wherein an inferior surface of the soft palate is contacted with the elongate portion of the tissue treatment portion and a superior surface of the soft palate is contacted with the hook-shaped distal end of the tissue treatment portion;
- delivering energy from the first longitudinal electrode of the tissue treatment portion through the mucosal tissue to a target tissue in the soft palate beneath the mucosal tissue, to change at least one property of the target tissue,
- receiving, with the second longitudinal electrode, the energy delivered from the first longitudinal electrode,
- cooling the mucosal tissue between the first and second longitudinal electrodes with the cooling member on the tissue treatment portion during delivery of energy such that the target tissue is treated at a selected tissue depth in a U-shaped energy delivery path from the first longitudinal electrode and through the target tissue to the second longitudinal electrode;
- and
- removing the tissue treatment portion from the mouth.
8 more elements
A device for treating a soft palate in a patient, the device comprising:
- a handle;
- a shaft having a proximal end attached to the handle and a distal end;
- a treatment element extending from the distal end of the shaft, the treatment element having an elongate portion and a hook-shaped distal end configured to fit around an end of the soft palate, the treatment element comprising:
- a treatment surface;
- a first longitudinal electrode on the treatment surface;
- and
- a second longitudinal electrode on the treatment surface;
- a cooling mechanism positioned between the first longitudinal electrode and the second longitudinal electrode, the cooling mechanism configured to couple to a suction source for suctioning cooling fluid through the cooling mechanism,
- wherein the first longitudinal electrode is configured to deliver radiofrequency energy to tissue, the second longitudinal electrode is configured to receive the energy delivered from the first longitudinal electrode, and the cooling mechanism is configured to cool the tissue between the first longitudinal electrode and the second longitudinal electrode such that the energy is delivered to the tissue in a U-shaped energy delivery path from the first longitudinal electrode to the second longitudinal electrode;
- wherein the elongate portion of the treatment element is configured to contact an inferior surface of the soft palate and the hook-shaped distal end of the treatment element is configured to contact a superior surface of the soft palate;
- and
- a connector for connecting the handle with a power source and a cooling source.
9 more elements
A device for treating a soft palate in a patient, the device comprising:
- a handle;
- a shaft having a proximal end attached to the handle and a distal end;
- a treatment element extending from the distal end of the shaft and having an elongate portion and a hook-shaped distal end configured to fit around an end of the soft palate, the treatment element comprising:
- a treatment surface;
- a first longitudinal electrode positioned on a first lateral side of the treatment surface and extending along a length of the treatment surface from a proximal end of the treatment surface to a distal end of the treatment surface;
- a second longitudinal electrode positioned on a second lateral side of the treatment surface and extending along the length of the treatment surface from the proximal end of the treatment surface to the distal end of the treatment surface;
- a cooling mechanism positioned between the first longitudinal electrode and the second longitudinal electrode,
- wherein the first longitudinal electrode is configured to deliver radiofrequency energy to tissue, the second longitudinal electrode is configured to receive the energy delivered from the first longitudinal electrode, and the cooling mechanism is configured to cool the tissue between the first longitudinal electrode and the second longitudinal electrode such that the energy is delivered to the tissue in a U-shaped energy delivery path;
- wherein the elongate portion of the treatment element is configured to contact an inferior surface of the soft palate and the hook-shaped distal end of the treatment element is configured to contact a superior surface of the soft palate;
- and
- a connector for connecting the handle with a power source and a cooling source.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.