A catheter for mapping and ablating pericardial cavity epicardial tissueincludes a catheterbody and electrode assembly having a tip and a loop lying generally within aplane. The tipincludes an ablation electrode exposed on one side of the loop and aninsulation member exposedon the opposite side. The catheter also includes an intermediate sectionbetween the catheter bodyand the electrode assembly. The intermediate section deflects the loop and thetip bi-directionallywithin the same plane. So arranged, the catheter can be safely maneuvered inthe pericardial sacand swept side to side over the epicardium with the ablation electrodereliably facing andcontacting with the epicardium. The catheter may further include an injectionneedle whose distalend can extend outside of the tip to puncture epicardial tissue. A lumen inthe needle carries in itthermocouple wires for temperature sensing at the treatment site.
