by Elana Gotkine

Genicular artery embolization (GEA) is effective and safe for reducing osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms among patients with knee OA that is refractory to conservative therapy, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, held from Dec. 1 to 5 in Chicago.

Florian Nima Fleckenstein, M.D., from Charité - University Hospital Berlin, and colleagues conducted a single-center study involving 167 patients aged 40 to 90 years with moderate-to-severe knee OA who had previously experienced failure of conservative therapy to examine the safety and efficacy of GAE. At six weeks, three months, and six months after GAE, adverse events and symptom scores were assessed.

The severity of knee OA was grade 2, 3, and 4 in 12, 41, and 47% of cases, respectively. The researchers found that in 100% of procedures, technical success was achieved. As expected, in 18% of cases, transient skin discoloration and transient mild knee pain were noted after the procedure. There were no reports of severe complications.

At six months, the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score quality of life index and visual analog scale score improved by 87 and 71%, respectively, from a median baseline of 57/100 and 7/10, respectively.

"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," Fleckenstein said in a statement.

More information: Genicular Artery Embolization for the Treatment of Symptomatic Knee-OA: A Comprehensive Analysis of 167 Patients, press.rsna.org/pressrelease/20 … es/2543/abstract.pdf

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