Method for ablating interior sections of the tongue
AssigneeSommus Medical Technologies, Inc.
InventorStuart D. Edwards
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for reducing a volume of a tongue provides an ablative agent source. The ablative agent source is coupled to an ablative agent delivery device. At least a portion of the ablative agent delivery device is advanced into an interior of the tongue. A sufficient amount of an ablative agent is delivered from the ablative agent delivery device into the interior of the tongue to debulk a section of the tongue without damaging a hypoglossal nerve. Thereafter, the ablative agent delivery device is retracted from the interior of the tongue.
Claims20
A method for reducing a volume of a tongue, comprising:
- providing an ablation apparatus including a source of ablation energy and an ablation energy delivery device;
- advancing at least a portion of the ablation energy delivery device into an interior of the tongue;
- delivering a sufficient amount of energy from the energy delivery device into the interior of the tongue to debulk a section of the tongue without permanently damaging a main branch of a hypoglossal nerve;
- and
- retracting the ablation energy delivery device from the interior of the tongue.
A method for reducing a volume of a tongue, comprising:
- providing an ablative agent source coupled to an ablative agent delivery device;
- advancing at least a portion of the ablative agent delivery device into an interior of the tongue;
- delivering a sufficient amount of an ablative agent from the ablative agent delivery device into the interior of the tongue to debulk a section of the tongue without permanently damaging a main branch of a hypoglossal nerve;
- and
- retracting the ablative agent delivery device from the interior of the tongue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.