Abstract ▼ AI-Helper

Background: Chronic osteoarthritis (OA) pain of the knee is often not effectively managed with current non-pharmacological and also with pharmacological treatments. Radiofrequency (RF) neurotomy is a therapeutic alternative for chronic pain. This study is investigated whether RF neurotomy applied to...

Background: Chronic osteoarthritis (OA) pain of the knee is often not effectively managed with current non-pharmacological and also with pharmacological treatments. Radiofrequency (RF) neurotomy is a therapeutic alternative for chronic pain. This study is investigated whether RF neurotomy applied to articular nerve branches (genicular nerves) was effective in relieving chronic OA knee joint pain. Subjects and methods: The study involved 38 elderly patients with severe OA knee pain lasting more than 3 months and who responded positively to a diagnostic genicular nerve block. Patients were randomly assigned to receive percutaneous RF genicular neurotomy under fluoroscopic guidance (RF group; n = 19). The other group had the same procedure without effective neurotomy (control group; n = 19). Visual analogue scale (VAS), Oxford knee scores, and global perceived effect on a 7-point scale were measured at baseline and at 1, 4, and 12 weeks post-procedure. Results: VAS scores showed that the RF group had less knee joint pain at 4 (p < 0.001) and 12 (p < 0.001) weeks compared with the control group. Oxford knee scores showed similar findings (p < 0.001). Of the 17 RF patients, 10 (59%), 11 (65%) and 10 (59%) recorded greater than 50% knee pain relief at 1, 4 and 12 weeks, respectively. No participant reported a post-procedure adverse event. Conclusion: RF neurotomy of genicular nerves leads to significant pain reduction and functional improvement in elderly chronic knee OA patients, and thus may be a safe and effective treatment for this condition.

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