Surgery – Miscellaneous – Devices placed entirely within body and means used therewith
Patent
1996-04-22
1999-11-09
Gilbert, Samuerl
Surgery
Miscellaneous
Devices placed entirely within body and means used therewith
A61B 1900
Patent
active
059794569
ABSTRACT:
An apparatus and method for reversibly modifying the shape of a selected portion of the body such as the pharynx, to produce a desired result, for example, to overcome obstructive sleep apnea by urging open the pharynx. The apparatus includes a preconfigured structure having a shape-memory with an activated shape and a quiescent shape. The preconfigured structure is shaped to conform to the selected portion of the body. The shape-memory is responsive to activation energy and urges the preconfigured structure from the quiescent shape to the activated shape. Furthermore, the activated shape of the preconfigured structure exerts a force on the selected portion, thereby modifying the shape of the selected portion. The preconfigured structure can be attached to an exterior surface of, or can be implanted within the body proximate to, the selected portion of the body. The apparatus can include an energy source coupled to the preconfigured structure for providing the activation energy, responsive to a predetermined stimulus and can be attached external to, or implanted within, the body. The invention also provides a method for reversibly modifying the shape of a selected portion of a body. The method includes attaching a preconfigured shape-memory structure to the selected portion of the body; and applying the activation energy to the preconfigured structure with an energy source, thereby the preconfigured shape-memory structure from the quiescent shape to the activated shape.
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