This emerging treatment could help people avoid knee replacement surgery

A minimally invasive procedure called genicular artery embolization could offer a new middle ground between conservative treatments and knee replacement for osteoarthritis. By blocking tiny blood vessels associated with inflammation, GAE can significantly reduce pain, with some patients reporting little or no pain afterward. Studies suggest the benefits may last two to four years in people who respond well. That is how 74-year-old Cynthia Schraf-Fletcher describes genicular artery embolization (GAE), a minimally invasive treatment designed to reduce chronic knee pain. Nearly a year after having the outpatient procedure on her right knee, she says the result feels almost the same as the total knee replacement she previously underwent on her left knee.

"I couldn't be more pleased," says Schraf-Fletcher, who turned to Leigh Casadaban, MD, MS, assistant professor of radiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, for the treatment. She says everyday activities that once came with substantial discomfort are now much easier. Gardening, riding a stationary bicycle, and enjoying other favorite activities all involve far less pain. Genicular artery embolization works by reducing blood flow to inflamed areas inside the knee. The goal is to calm inflammation, which can in turn reduce swelling and pain. That makes