Force-directional nasal surgery dilatation device

A force-directional nasal surgery dilatation device for use in a nasal surgery, comprising:

• an inflatable balloon;
• a shaft for supporting the balloon at a distal end and guiding the balloon into position for a procedure involving a patient;
• an inflation passageway associated with the shaft for introducing an inflation medium into the balloon;
• and
• a force distribution member adjacent a side of the balloon and having a relatively rigid force distribution surface, said force distribution surface comprising a pair of surfaces that articulate along a line between adjacent lateral edges of the pair of surfaces and allow articulated movement of the pair of surfaces relative to each other when the balloon is inflated;
• wherein the line between adjacent lateral edges of the pair of surfaces is defined by openings longitudinally distributed along a center to facilitate the bending of the force distribution member;
• and
• wherein, when the balloon is inflated in a nasal passage or sinus ostia of the patient, the pair of surfaces move relative to each other to provide a force distribution surface such that the force applied to tissue adjacent the force distribution member resulting from inflation of the balloon is distributed along the force distribution surface of the force distribution member and is less than the amount of force applied to other tissue in the nasal passage or sinus ostia of the patient by the inflation of the balloon.