Patent ID: 8277411

Claim:
A needle device, comprising: a supply tube having a proximal end and a distal end; a nozzle, comprising: a longitudinal axis, a proximal end, a distal end, a bevel at said distal end comprising a tissue piercing point, a first lumen axially disposed in said nozzle from said proximal end to said distal end, said first lumen at said proximal end of said nozzle in fluid communication with said distal end of said supply tube, said nozzle comprising a first opening at said distal end of said nozzle in fluid communication with said first lumen, a second lumen axially disposed in said nozzle from said proximal end to said distal end, said nozzle further comprising a second opening at said distal end of said nozzle in optical communication with said second lumen, wherein the first opening is distal to the second opening between the second opening and the tissue piercing point, and at least one optical element axially positioned in said second lumen for transmitting and receiving optical radiation through said second opening in said nozzle.