Electrosurgical stripping electrode for palatopharynx tissue
First Claim
1. A surgical procedure for treating a human patient having an oral cavity leading to an airspace in an oral pharynx and bounding the airspace wide lateral pharyngeal walls of tissue and low arched soft palate tissue on both sides of an uvula, said patient suffering from snoring or obstructive sleep apnea syndrome as a result of obstructions of the airspace in its oral pharynx, comprising the step of:
- (a) reducing snoring or sleep apneas by electrosurgically stripping layers of tissue of the wide lateral pharyngeal walls and low arched soft palate on both sides of the uvula, step (a) being carried out via the oral cavity of the patient while sparing the uvula.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrode for use in an electrosurgical procedure to improve snoring and OSAS. The procedure is based on the progressive enlargement of the airspace in the oropharynx to eliminate or reduce obstructions that can occur during sleep, by electrosurgical stripping of layers of the vibrating soft palate, the wide posterior tonsil pillars, and redundant posterior pharyngeal mucosa. In a preferred embodiment, the electrode is characterized by a bare active wire portion suspended between wire supports on an electrode shaft. The tissue stripping is effected with the bare wire, and the adjacent portions of the wire supports and electrode shaft are made insulating to prevent accidental burns to the patient and to allow the physician to use these insulated parts to help position and guide the active wire portion during the surgical procedure.
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Citations
5 Claims
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1. A surgical procedure for treating a human patient having an oral cavity leading to an airspace in an oral pharynx and bounding the airspace wide lateral pharyngeal walls of tissue and low arched soft palate tissue on both sides of an uvula, said patient suffering from snoring or obstructive sleep apnea syndrome as a result of obstructions of the airspace in its oral pharynx, comprising the step of:
(a) reducing snoring or sleep apneas by electrosurgically stripping layers of tissue of the wide lateral pharyngeal walls and low arched soft palate on both sides of the uvula, step (a) being carried out via the oral cavity of the patient while sparing the uvula. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
Specification