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GAE treats chronic knee pain by reducing blood flow to the inflamed joint lining. Compared with steroid injections it can hold pain at bay for years rather than months.
Genicular artery embolization (GAE) is a non-surgical treatment for chronic knee pain that works by reducing some of the blood flow to the inflamed areas of the joint. That interrupts the cycle of inflammatory factors, limits further joint irritation, and reduces pain.
It is a newer procedure, and it is showing real promise in arthritis-related knee pain. Compared with a steroid injection into the knee, it reliably reduces pain and can keep it away for years rather than months.
A small catheter is placed into the artery at the top of the leg and guided down to the knee using live X-ray. Images of the knee arteries are taken, showing where the areas of inflammation causing pain are located. An even finer catheter is then used to gently reduce the blood flow to those areas.
By reducing the excess blood vessels in the inflamed synovium, the tissue lining the joint, the inflammation associated with osteoarthritis decreases. That is what relieves the pain.
Initial trials are very promising for patients with debilitating knee pain who are not ready or willing to undergo knee replacement surgery. GAE does not treat the underlying cartilage loss, but it can be an effective way to manage the symptoms.
In a prospective trial presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology Annual Scientific Meeting, 40 patients who were not candidates for knee replacement, and who had failed anti-inflammatory medication, joint injections, and physical therapy, were treated with GAE. Average pain scores fell from 8 out of 10 before the procedure to 3 out of 10 within the first week, with benefits appearing as soon as three days. Seven in ten patients still reported more than a 50% reduction in pain at one year.
The lead researcher described the change in plain terms: patients who could previously walk only three or four blocks were walking three miles, and some were able to stop using a cane. Minor temporary side effects, transient skin discoloration and small bone infarcts, occurred in 10 patients and resolved on their own within days.
Importantly, having GAE does not prevent you from having a knee replacement later if you eventually need one.
GAE is an outpatient procedure and usually takes about an hour. It is not painful, and patients are sedated for comfort. Recovery is quick, with only minimal limitations for a few days afterward. Most people return to work the next day.
To find out whether GAE might help you, call our office at (212) 991-9991. We are glad to arrange a phone call to discuss it, or you can book an appointment.
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