A minimally invasive procedure that blocks abnormal blood vessels around the knee may offer long lasting relief for people with osteoarthritis, according to new research published on June 16 in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and is a major cause of disability worldwide. The condition can lead to joint inflammation, stiffness, reduced mobility, and pain caused by sensory nerves. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 365 million adults around the world live with knee osteoarthritis.
"For many patients with knee osteoarthritis, there is a real treatment gap today," said Florian Nima Fleckenstein, M.D., deputy head of Interventional Radiology Campus Mitte, Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin. "Conservative measures such as intra-articular injections no longer provide sufficient relief, but joint replacement is not an option for medical or personal reasons."
A New Approach to Knee Osteoarthritis Pain
The treatment, known as genicular artery embolization (GAE), is an emerging nonsurgical procedure designed to target abnormal blood vessels that develop around arthritic knee joints. These excess vessels are believed to contribute to ongoing inflammation and pain.
