A Minimally Invasive Procedure to Reduce Knee Osteoarthritis Pain

This pilot study is testing a procedure called Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE) for people with knee osteoarthritis pain that hasn't improved with standard treatments like medications, physical therapy, or injections. The procedure uses imaging to locate small blood vessels supplying the inflamed tissue in the knee, then temporarily blocks them using a special emulsion to reduce pain. Researchers want to see if this treatment works better than a sham procedure (where patients receive the same preparation but no actual treatment) at reducing knee pain over three months.

Many people with knee osteoarthritis continue to suffer despite trying conservative treatments, and some aren't candidates for or don't want knee replacement surgery. This trial exists to determine whether this minimally invasive procedure could offer meaningful pain relief for these patients and to gather information needed to design a larger, more definitive study.