Patent ID: 8435290

Claim:
A method for providing a gas pathway in the middle ear region of a patient, comprising: advancing a guide wire into the Eustachian tube (ET) of the patient via the patient's nasopharynx; introducing an endoluminal ET ventilating implant via the patient's nasopharynx along the guide wire into the Eustachian tube of the patient; advancing the implant into the ET adjacent the cartilage and tensor villi palatine or the levator villi palatine muscles, said implant dimensioned for insertion into the ET adjacent the nasopharynx; tethering the implant to the ET cartilage using a first connector; tethering the implant to the tensor villi palatine or the levator villi palatine muscles using a second connector; providing a gas pathway between the ET lumen and the nasopharynx using the implant, the implant being dimensioned and configured to modulate an opening in a gas pathway in communication with the ET lumen and the nasopharynx.