Is Genicular Artery Embolization Treatment For Knee Pain Relief Safe?
Knee pain stays the same even after so many treatments for many individuals. Constant discomfort and pain in your knees feel endless, and medicines do nothing. Putting an end to your efforts is not a solution for your pain relief. Instead, know what other treatments are available for knee joints.
Genicular Artery Embolization is one such advanced treatment, i.e., trending for relieving pain in the knees. But again, it is not easy for everyone to trust this treatment and consider it a safe option. Many patients are concerned and looking for answers to their query, “Is Genicular Artery Embolization safe?”
Find this guide helpful in acquiring all the answers you have been looking for. Explore all the myths, facts, and procedures of GAE treatment. You must know what doctors have to say about this treatment and if your health condition is good enough to proceed. When you confirm everything, take a crucial step to get this treatment for knee pain.
About Genicular Artery Embolization Treatment
A radiologist performs this minimally invasive procedure. The procedure starts with a puncture in the groin to insert a tiny catheter under X-ray guidance. The catheter is moved into your genicular arteries, which helps in detecting inflammation around the knees.
Some microscopic particles are injected to block the abnormal vessels, causing the pain. This procedure is done to reduce inflammation, discomfort, and severe pain without doing any massive surgery.
Reasons To Consider GAE Treatment
Generally, GAE is recommended for patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis with severe pain and swelling. Even after consuming various medicines or taking injectables, when you do not observe any recovery, you can prefer GAE to avoid knee replacement. In some accidental cases, you can consider GAE for recurrent bleeding.
Compared to other treatments, the GAE technique seems a better option as it is minimally invasive and done under local anesthesia. The scope of recovery is quite quick. Therefore, these reasons make it a considerable treatment option for treating knee pain.
Is GAE Really Safe?
Now, here comes the main question, “Is genicular artery embolization a safe choice?”. As per the latest studies and patient reviews, consider a safe GAE knee treatment. You can expect minor side effects like skin discoloration, numbness, swelling, etc. But all these side effects will vanish in a few days, and there is nothing to worry about.
Many patients also experience side effects like hematoma, bruising, and short-term paresthesia. But it is rare to experience serious complications like nerve injury, worsened renal functioning, or deep vein thrombosis. Random trials and follow-ups are still going on to gather the evidence.
Rare Risks Associated With GAE Treatment
There are rare complications of GAE treatment that you must know before proceeding. It is necessary to know about the worst things that can also happen, unfortunately, but with a rare chance.
- Infection: The punctured site can get infected if mishandled without hygiene. But the chance of infection at the puncture site is rare, as your pain management doctor takes care of hygiene parameters during the treatment.
- Allergies: During the angiography, a contrast dye is used, which can be an allergy for some patients. But generally, it is rare to happen.
- Non-target Embolization: When microscopic particles are injected into arteries, they can rarely go to the skin or other than the inflamed tissue. In such a case, there is a risk of skin ulceration, or the wound may heal with more time than expected. But the procedure is done with precautions to reduce this risk.
- Vascular Complications: There is an uncommon possibility of thrombosis or vessel dissection.
Are You The Right Candidate For GAE Treatment?
You need to be the right candidate for this treatment. Determine how safe is genicular artery embolization, you can know through the following ways:
- Any patient with a symptomatic knee with mild or moderate radiographic changes and uncontrollable pain can go for GAE treatment.
- If you want to delay knee replacement or arthroplasty, consider this treatment a good option.
But You Are Not Suitable For GAE In The Case Of:
- If you are at the severe or advanced stage of OA and your pain management specialist has strictly suggested joint replacement, then expect to get temporary knee pain relief from GAE.
- If you have any active infection or vascular disease, there is an increased risk of embolic bleeding.
What Doctors Do To Reduce Complications?
A few things are in the control of doctors that can reduce or prevent complications, such as:
- Insert the selective catheter by targeting the right vessels or arteries carefully to avoid any risk.
- Use the right patterns of angiography or fluoroscopy to determine the required particle size and minimize the risk of embolic travel.
- Find the right arteries and avoid inserting the catheter in the arterial branches that end at the skin or cause damage to nerves.
- Monitor knees after the procedure and treat minor side effects to keep the patient safe.
Ongoing Research On GAE
To treat OA pain, GAE is a new treatment, and it is under random trials. Talking about long-term follow-ups, these are still underway. Medical specialists are focusing more on safety signals to ensure the long-term safety of patients and treatment effectiveness.
Many patients are advised to proceed with this treatment to get relief from severe knee pain. Every treatment comes with side effects and complications. But GAE has rare complications compared to other major surgeries.
GAE Is Safe For Your Knees
As per existing studies and random trials, it is fair to conclude that GAE treatment is safe and effective. There are chances of minor side effects, but severe complications happen rarely. A patient must be a suitable candidate for this procedure.
Therefore, consult your doctor and know everything about your condition. Get an appointment at Advanced Medical Group to know if GAE is the right treatment for you. But if you are concerned about whether the treatment is safe or risky, then stay calm, as it is completely safe. Be prepared for the treatment and do not worry about the side effects.
