Radiologists say novel interventional procedure relieves knee arthritis
Radiologists say a novel interventional procedure can relieve knee arthritis, according to research being presented this week at RSNA 2024 in Chicago.
Genicular artery embolization (GAE) is a minimally invasive approach that provides pain relief and helps to inhibit progression of osteoarthritis, experts note. In a retrospective study involving 403 patients with moderate to severe OA that didn’t respond to conservative treatment, technical success was achieved in 100% of cases.
Patients experienced no severe complications, while quality-of-life index and pain scores improved 87% and 71%, respectively, at the one-year follow-up mark.
"Our study found that GAE can effectively reduce knee pain and improve quality of life early after the treatment, with these benefits being maintained over the long term, especially for people who haven't had success with other treatments like physical therapy or pain medications," lead author, Florian Nima Fleckenstein, MD, an interventional radiologist at Charité University Hospital Berlin in Germany, said in a Tuesday announcement from RSNA.
Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of chronic joint disorders, with knee OA impacting over 365 million individuals worldwide, according to WHO. Pain medications and steroid injections typically only mask symptoms and do not slow disease progression, which can lead to more invasive treatments such as joint replacement surgery. Genicular artery embolization involves an interventional radiologist injecting small particles into selected branches stemming from the knee joint. This serves to block blood flow to the impacted area, disrupting the cycle of inflammation, cartilage destruction and sensory nerve growth.
Patients involved in the study were treated at the Berlin hospital and ranged in age from 40 to 90. Fleckenstein and colleagues measured the procedure’s impact using standardized scores to gauge pain and quality of life, checking in at six weeks, three months, six months and one year after GAE. Temporary skin discoloration and mild knee pain immediately after the procedure were reported in about 18% of cases. The analysis also found that the procedure is particularly effective in early stages of OA, possibly helping to prevent disease progression.
Experts hope their findings will encourage IR practices and hospital departments to pursue greater adoption of embolization for OA.
"GAE has the potential to reduce the need for more invasive surgeries, lower healthcare costs and significantly improve the quality of life for countless individuals suffering from knee osteoarthritis," Fleckenstein said in the announcement.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.