PALO ALTO, Calif. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Spring is here, and with the new season comes allergies ... and sinus problems. Nearly 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sinus infections. Until now, the only hope was full blown surgery to correct the problem. Now, some surgeons are using a new, gentler technique.

Today, Judy Caletti enjoys her time outdoors. A few weeks ago, she was in severe pain.

"I was just completely washed out," she says. "Everything was an effort, even getting a shower and brushing my teeth."

Caletti had chronic sinusitis. She lost her sense of smell and suffered severe headaches almost every day. No going out. No shopping.

Head and neck surgeon Winston Vaughan, M.D., says the condition is common.

"Chronic infections are usually due to blockage. If you have large rooms, the sinus cavities are small hallways and small doorways. When the hallways and doorways get into trouble, the rooms produce mucus, which cannot drain," Dr. Vaughan, of California Sinus Institute in Palo Alto, tells Ivanhoe.

To drain the "rooms," Dr. Vaughan offered Caletti a new procedure called balloon sinuplasty. He threads a catheter through the nostril and into the sinus cavities. He then inserts a wire, followed by a balloon.

"We blow the balloon up and expand the doorway by expanding the balloon," he says.

The balloon pushes the blockage out of the way. Unlike standard surgery, it destroys little or no tissue. Dr. Vaughan says that offers some big benefits, including less pain, less bleeding, faster recovery and a more naturally functioning nasal cavity. Another advantage of is patients don't require nasal packing to prevent bleeding.

Caletti says she feels like her old self again. "I finally could smell the flowers, and they smelled really good to me.

I got my life back," she says. Most of all, she says, she likes being pain-free.

Standard surgery takes about a week of recovery time. Most balloon sinuplasty patients are able to function by the next day. Right now, about 20 centers across the country are offering the procedure.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Winston Vaughan, MD
1900 University Ave
Suite 101
E. Palo Alto , CA
(650) 462-3131
sinusmd@aol.com
http://www.calsinus.com
http://www.acclarent.com