Tongue Implant for Sleep Apnea

A method for treating obstructive sleep apnea comprising:

• identifying a patient with sleep apnea attributable at least in part to movement of a base of a tongue of said patient toward a pharyngeal wall of said patient;
• providing an implant of fibrosis-inducing material;
• identifying a region in the tongue extending from a mandibular-geniohyoid interface to the base of the tongue;
• stiffening a tissue of the tongue throughout the identified region by inducing the formation of fibrosis along said region, wherein said stiffening includes:
• i) inserting a tool within an opening formed in a proximal end of the implant;
• ii) placing the implant of fibrosis-inducing material within the tongue;
• and
• iii) actuating the tool when the implant is placed within the tongue such that the implant expands from a compact configuration to an expanded configuration.