Soft palate treatment

Abstract

A method of treating a soft palate in a patient to treat sleep apnea, snoring or both may involve advancing a treatment element of a treatment device through the patient's mouth, contacting a tissue-contact surface of the treatment element with the soft palate, delivering energy to the soft palate via one or more energy delivery members on the tissue-contact surface, and removing the treatment element from the mouth.

1 . A device for treating a soft palate in a patient to treat sleep apnea, snoring or both, the device comprising:
 a handle;   a shaft having a distal end with a neck;   an elongate treatment element extending from the neck of the shaft such that the treatment element is angled relative to a longitudinal axis of the shaft, the treatment element comprising:
 a treatment surface; and 
 multiple pairs of bipolar electrodes arrayed along the treatment surface in two parallel rows; and 
   a connector for connecting the handle with a power source.   
     
     
         2 . A device as in  claim 1 , wherein each of the bipolar electrodes is shaped as a triangle protruding from the treatment surface. 
     
     
         3 . A device as in  claim 1 , wherein the treatment surface has a convex shape for creating a concave deformity in the soft palate. 
     
     
         4 . A device as in  claim 1 , further comprising multiple shafts and multiple treatment elements, wherein each of the treatment elements is located on one of the multiple shafts. 
     
     
         5 . A device as in  claim 1 , wherein the bipolar electrodes are moveable along the treatment surface.