| abstract |
A method for preventing unwanted damage to tissue in a spine of a patient during a tissue modification procedure may involve: advancing at least a distal portion of at least one barrier member over at least one guide member into an epidural space of the patient's spine; positioning at least an expanded portion of the barrier member between target tissue and non-target tissue; and performing at least one tissue modification procedure on the target tissue, using at least one tissue modification device. Generally, at least part of the barrier member may be disposed between the tissue modification device and the non-target tissue to prevent unwanted damage to the non-target tissue. In various embodiments, at least part of a barrier member may be advanced through a sheath- or catheter-like delivery device and may either automatically expand or be expandable from a collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration. |