Methods and devices for performing procedures within the ear, nose, throat and paranasal sinuses

A method for image guided performance of a treatment procedure to treat a disease or disorder of a paranasal sinus in a human or animal subject, said method comprising the steps of:

• A) providing a working device, at least a portion of said working device being insertable into a paranasal sinus of the subject and useable to carry out or facilitate at least a portion of said treatment procedure, a sensor being positioned at a location on the working device that is insertable into a paranasal sinus of the subject;
• B) providing an image guidance system that is useable to determine the location of the working device within the paranasal sinus of the subject on the basis of signals received from the sensor;
• C) inserting the working device such that the location is within an ear, nose, throat or paranasal sinus of the subject;
• and
• D) using the image guidance system to detect the position of the sensor within a paranasal sinus of the subject
• wherein the working device comprises a catheter or elongate member having an expandable dilator thereon;
• wherein the expandable dilator is sized and constructed to be positioned within the ostium of a paranasal sinus while in a non-expanded state and the thereafter be expanded to an expanded state, thereby enlarging the ostium;
• wherein the ostium in which the expandable dilator is to be positioned comprises a bone that underlies mucous membrane and wherein the expandable dilator is further constructed to exert sufficient force against the ostium to break bone that underlies the mucous membrane.