Patent ID: 7273468

Claim:
A medical device for treating disorders within an epidural space, comprising: a body; a catheter portion connected to said body at a proximal end and extending from said body to a distal end; an inflatable member disposed on an exterior surface of said catheter portion and spaced away from said distal end, such that said distal end of said catheter extends beyond said inflatable member so as to penetrate patient tissue ahead of said inflatable member during use; and a steering mechanism integrated into said catheter portion, wherein the catheter portion is flexible and the steering mechanism controls an angle of the distal end with respect to an adjacent segment of said catheter portion such that said distal end and said inflatable member can be steered without, or after being advanced beyond an end of, a guidewire; an optical system, connected to said body, configured to obtain an image of said epidural space around said distal end of said catheter and provide that image to an operator of said medical device; wherein said medical device is specifically configured for treating disorders within an epidural space with minimal damage to a patient.