Method for treating obstructed paranasal ethmoid sinuses

1. A method of treating a space in a patient's ethmoid sinus, comprising:

providing a catheter device comprising an expandable and contractible member which is expandable from a first smaller contracted profile to a second larger expanded profile;

creating an opening into the ethmoid sinus;

during the same medical procedure, pushing said member while in said contracted profile through the opening into the space associated with the ethmoid sinus of said patient;

expanding said member to said expanded profile to enlarge the space, the space being enlarged when the member is expanded; and

removing the catheter from the now enlarged space, which remains enlarged for a period of time effective to treat the space associated with the ethmoid sinus after the balloon catheter is removed.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said space is formed in the patient's ethmoid bulla.

3. The method of claim 2 , which further comprises:

removing the anterior wall of the ethmoid bulla.

4. The method of claim 1 , which further comprises:

medially retracting the patient's middle turbinate; and

removing a part of the patient's uncinate process.

5. The method of claim 2 , which further comprises:

contracting said member after said expanding; and

completing removal of the ethmoid bulla.

6. The method of claim 1 , which further comprises:

pushing said contracted member into the patient's anterior ethmoid air cells;

expanding said member to dilate said anterior ethmoid air cells; and

withdrawing said member from the space formerly occupied by said anterior ethmoid air cells.

7. The method of claim 1 , which further comprises:

creating an opening in the patient's basal lamella of the patient's middle turbinate;

pushing said contracted member through said opening into said posterior ethmoid air cells;

expanding said member to dilate said posterior ethmoid cells; and

withdrawing said member from the space formerly occupied by said posterior ethmoid air cells.

8. The method of claim 1 , which further comprises:

inserting said contracted member through an anterior wall of the patient's sphenoid sinus; and

expanding said member to dilate the anterior wall of the patient's sphenoid sinus.

9. The method of claim 1 , which further comprises:

pushing said contracted member into a patient's nasofrontal duct; and

expanding said contracted member to dilate said nasofrontal duct.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the catheter has sufficient stiffness and column strength that the contracted member can be pushed into the space.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said member is located on a distal segment of the catheter, and wherein said distal segment is at an angle of between about one hundred thirty degrees and about one hundred eighty degrees to a proximal segment of the catheter.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the angle is about one hundred eighty degrees.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

inflating the member to about nine atmospheres.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

contracting the member;

repositioning the member after the contracting; and

expanding the member after the repositioning.

15. The method of claim 1 , which further comprises:

selecting the catheter device such that the member when in a contracted profile will fit snugly with the space.

16. The method of claim 1 , which further comprises:

removing the patient's middle turbinate.