Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of pain and disability around the world. The condition develops when the tissues inside the knee joint gradually wear down over time.
As the disease progresses, people often experience pain, stiffness, swelling, and difficulty walking, climbing stairs, or taking part in activities they once enjoyed. According to the World Health Organization, more than 365 million adults worldwide are living with knee osteoarthritis.
As populations age and obesity becomes more common, the number of people affected by this condition is expected to keep increasing.
For many patients, treating knee osteoarthritis can be frustrating. Doctors often recommend weight management, physical therapy, exercise programs, anti-inflammatory medications, and injections into the knee joint. While these treatments can help, they do not work well for everyone.
Some patients continue to have severe pain even after trying multiple treatments. Joint replacement surgery can be highly effective, but some people are not healthy enough to undergo surgery, while others prefer to avoid an operation.
Researchers have therefore been searching for new treatment options that fall somewhere between injections and major surgery. A new study published on June 16 in the journal Radiology offers encouraging news.
The research was led by scientists at Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin and investigated an emerging procedure called genicular artery embolization, or GAE. This minimally invasive treatment targets abnormal blood vessels that develop around arthritic knees. Scientists believe these extra blood vessels contribute to ongoing inflammation and pain.
During the procedure, an interventional radiologist inserts a thin tube called a catheter into the blood vessels and guides it to the affected area using live imaging. Tiny gelatin-based particles are then delivered into the abnormal blood vessels.
These particles temporarily block blood flow to the vessels and reduce the inflammation around the joint. The particles dissolve within hours, but the treatment effects may last much longer.
The study included 194 patients suffering from osteoarthritis-related knee pain. The participants had already tried conservative treatments for at least three months without adequate relief.
These treatments included physical therapy, medications, and injections. The average participant was 69 years old, and nearly one-quarter of the patients received treatment in both knees.
In total, the researchers performed 239 procedures. Every procedure was technically successful. The treatment also appeared to be very safe. No moderate or severe complications occurred, and only a small percentage of patients experienced mild side effects that disappeared on their own.
The researchers followed patients for up to one year after treatment. The results were impressive. Pain scores fell quickly and remained lower throughout the follow-up period.
Patients also reported substantial improvements in daily activities, sports and recreation, symptoms, and overall quality of life. By the end of one year, 80 percent of participants had experienced improvements that were considered clinically meaningful.
The findings suggest that reducing abnormal blood vessels around the knee may help normalize both blood vessel activity and pain-related nerve activity in the joint.
This raises the possibility that the treatment may do more than simply reduce symptoms. It could potentially influence the disease process itself, although more studies are needed to confirm this idea.
Reviewing the findings, this study is important because it represents one of the largest investigations of genicular artery embolization using rapidly dissolving particles and includes nearly 200 real-world patients. The high follow-up rates and strong safety profile add confidence to the results.
However, the study was conducted at a single center and did not directly compare GAE with other treatments. Larger randomized studies will still be needed.
Even so, the results suggest that this minimally invasive procedure could become an important new option for patients who continue to suffer from knee osteoarthritis but are not ready for, or cannot undergo, knee replacement surgery.
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Source: Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
