Patent ID: 8241356

Claim:
A method of treating a nasal valve condition of a patient's nose, the patient's nose defining a first side, a second side, and a nasal septum that separates the first and second sides of the patient's nose, said method comprising: a. surgically forming a first access path and subsequently creating a first pocket on said first side of said nose with: i. said first pocket positioned between a soft tissue layer and opposing upper and lower cartilages of said nose, and ii. said pocket spanning a junction between upper and lower cartilages on said first side of said nose; b. selecting a first implant having a length, width and thickness sized for said first implant to reside within said first pocket with: i. said length sized to span said junction, ii. said width sized to be less than a width of said upper and lower cartilages on said first side, iii. said thickness separating first and second surfaces of said first implant and said thickness sized to be substantially smaller than either of said length and width, iv. said first implant being a disk having a diameter defined by the length and width, and v. said disk forming a hollow dome with a curvature; c. said first implant further selected to have a stiffness to resist bending in response to inhalation pressures at said nasal valve; d. implanting said first implant through said first access path and into said first pocket with: i. said length oriented for said first implant to span said junction, ii. said width oriented for said first implant to reside completely on said first side without extending over a bridge of said nose, and iii. said first and second surfaces disposed with: 1. said first surface opposing both of said upper and lower cartilages, and 2. said second surface opposing said soft tissue layer e. wherein one or more incisions that form the first access path and create the first pocket occur only at said first side of said nose.