Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation may be effective at reducing pain in patients who have knee osteoarthritis, according to an article published in Endovascular Today summarizing recent published findings. The new research—published by Carrato et al in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology and presented at the 2023 Society of Interventional Radiology Annual Scientific Meeting—revealed that the treatment was most effective among patients older than age 49 and those who suffered from chronic pain. By inserting probe needles that emit radio waves near the knee’s nerves, researchers were able to dull or entirely remove the patients’ pain. Using two pain scales, the researchers analyzed the efficacy of genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation in 36 patients and found that a reported reduction in visual analog scores from 8.58 to 5.02 and in Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis pain scale scores from 66.6 to 41. The researchers hope to conduct further studies over longer periods of time to more fully understand the effectiveness of this treatment option.
May 25, 2023