PALO ALTO, Calif. -- A birthday party is not complete without balloons and now a different kind of balloon can help people breathe easier.

For years, Ervie Smith suffered from post-nasal drip, headaches and a host of other sinus problems.

"Just a full stuffy feeling ... my nostrils and ears were full and sometimes I felt a ringing feeling," said Smith.

If you have seasonal allergies, you know how difficult it is to breathe in the spring when the pollen count is high. But for people like Ervie Smith with chronic sinusitis, allergy season seems to last all year.

A special scan like this of Smith's head showed one of her sinus cavities was completely blocked with mucous, causing a host of problems.

Smith said she felt tired all the time and decided it was time to try a radically new treatment called balloon sinuplasty.

Dr. Winston Vaughan at the California Sinus Institute in East Palo Alto was the first in the nation to perform the procedure.

Vaughan opens sinus cavities the same way cardiologists open clogged arteries during a balloon angioplasty.

While the patient is under general anesthesia, Vaughan threads a guide wire equipped with a tiny balloon up to the blockage. It inflates the sinus cavity and opens the passageway, allowing the cavity to drain.

"Instead of having to remove tissue to create a doorway, we can actually push the doorway open using a small non-traumatic delicate balloons," said Vaughan.

Using precise new tools developed by Acclarent in Menlo Park, Vaughan is able to perform the procedure without cutting or incisions, so there's no bruising or swelling and much less bleeding.

The procedure also means a quick recovery.

"Within two days, it was a totally clear feeling ... ah, breathing ... that I hadn't felt for years," said Smith.

Balloon sinuplasty is also very low-risk surgery.

"If you use the device and get it in the wrong position, there could potentially be damage to the eye or brain but that has never occurred in over 150 people who have used the device so far," said Vaughan.

Months after her procedure, Smith's scans show a dramatic difference. Her sinus cavities are clear.

You can find out more about the balloon sinuplasty procedure at Click Here For Link To California Sinus Institute. Also, check the Acclarent site for more information about the device.