Nonsurgical Procedure Tied to Improved Osteoarthritis-Related Knee Pain

WEDNESDAY, June 17, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For patients with osteoarthritis (OA)-related knee pain refractory to conservative treatment, genicular artery embolization (GAE) using rapidly resorbable gelatin-based microspheres (RRGMs) is associated with clinically meaningful improvements, according to a study published online June 16 in Radiology.

Florian Nima Fleckenstein, M.D., from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and colleagues examined the safety and clinical outcomes of GAE using RRGMs in participants with OA-related knee pain refractory to conservative treatment. At six weeks and three, six, and 12 months after treatment, safety, the numerical rating scale (NRS) score, and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were assessed.

A total of 194 patients underwent 239 GAE procedures using RRGMs, all of which were technically successful. The researchers found that transient skin discoloration occurred after 6.3 percent of procedures, and one participant (0.4 percent) developed a superficial groin hematoma; all resolved without sequelae. There were no moderate or severe adverse events reported. From baseline to 12 months, there was a decrease in the median NRS pain score from 7 to 3. Overall, 55 to 80 percent of participants achieved improvements exceeding the minimum clinically important difference across all KOOS subscores at 12 months.

“GAE is a whole new treatment regimen that targets abnormal hypervascularity around the joint and, in turn, modulates the pathological neurovascular environment,” Fleckenstein said in a statement. “By reducing both inflammation and pain, GAE with resorbable microspheres may be the first procedure that alters the course of the disease, slowing its progression.”

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