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New Interventional Radiology Research Shows Merits of Genicular Artery Embolization for Knee OA
In a cohort of over 160 patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), including grade 4 in nearly half of the cases, genicular artery embolization led to an 87 percent improvement in the quality of life index, according to research presented at the recent RSNA conference.
For patients with moderate to severe osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, genicular artery embolization (GAE) can have a significant impact on quality of life, according to new interventional radiology research.
For the retrospective study, presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) conference, researchers evaluated the use of GAE in 167 patients (median age of 69) with moderate to severe knee OA. The study authors noted that 47 percent of the cohort had grade 4 knee OA and 41 percent had grade 3 disease.
The researchers noted that digital subtraction angiography was utilized to identify embolization target vessels in correlation with reported sites of pain from patients.
Here one can see images showing the descending genicular artery in a patient with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. The pre-embolization imaging (left) reveals a hyperemic blush (red box) while the post-embolization imaging shows complete elimination of the hyperemic blush. (Images courtesy of RSNA.)
Utilizing the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), the study authors found an 87 percent improvement in quality of life at six months and a corresponding 71 percent increase in the visual analog scale (VAS). While the researchers acknowledged mild transient skin discoloration and knee pain after GAE, there were no severe complications.
"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," noted lead study author Florian Nima Fleckenstein, M.D., an interventional radiologist affiliated with the Charite — University Hospital Berlin in Germany. "This could potentially offer a new lease on life for many patients who suffer from debilitating pain and mobility issues, caused by osteoarthritis."
(Editor’s note: For additional coverage from the RSNA conference, click here.)
Conceding a lack of large-scale studies on the use of GAE, the study authors maintained that GAE is a viable non-invasive option that can facilitate lower complications and costs while enhancing quality of life.
“GAE has the potential to reduce the need for more invasive surgeries, lower health care costs and significantly improve the quality of life for countless individuals suffering from knee osteoarthritis," emphasized Dr. Fleckenstein.
Reference
1. Fleckenstein FN, Auer TA, Hamm B, Gebauer B, Collettini F. Genicular artery embolization for the treatment of symptomatic knee OA: a comprehensive analysis of 167 patients. Poster to be presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2024 110th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting Dec. 1-5, 2024. Available at: https://www.rsna.org/annual-meeting .
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