Interventional Radiology Uses Pinhole Incision to Reduce Inflamed Joint and Provide Long-Term Relief
Dr. Sandeep Bagla, Director of Interventional Radiology, Vascular Institute of Virginia
(Los Angeles, CA, Monday, March 19, 2018) – More than thirty million American adults suffer from osteoarthritis. This degenerative joint disease is a common cause of pain and disability for many people, from athletes to older adults.
Dr. Sandeep Bagla, director of interventional radiology at the Vascular Institute of Virginia, tells us about a minimally invasive non-surgical treatment for knee osteoarthritis presented this week at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s Annual Scientific Meeting.
SOUNDBITE #1:
A NONSURGICAL TREATMENT, KNOWN AS GENICULATE ARTERY EMBOLIZATION, COULD REDUCE PAIN AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PATIENTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS. WITH THIS NEW THERAPY, INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGISTS INJECT MICROSCOPIC BEADS INTO THE KNEE’S LINING TO BLOCK VERY SMALL BLOOD VESSELS. REDUCING THE UNNECESSARY BLOOD FLOW INTO THE KNEE HELPS LOWER THE INFLAMMATION AND PAIN CAUSED BY OSTEOARTHRITIS WITHOUT SURGERY, PHYSICAL THERAPY, OR CHRONIC PAIN MEDICATION.
SOUNDBITE #2:
THROUGH THIS IMAGE-GUIDED PROCEDURE, INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGISTS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE TREATMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS-RELATED KNEE PAIN. IN OUR CLINICAL TRIAL, WE FOUND THAT ONE MONTH AFTER TREATMENT, PATIENTS REPORTED DECREASED PAIN, REDUCED STIFFNESS, AND AN INCREASE IN THEIR PHYSICAL FUNCTION, ALL MEASURES OF IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE. OVERALL, THESE PATIENTS SHOWED AN APPROXIMATELY SEVENTY TO EIGHTY PERCENT IMPROVEMENT IN FUNCTION COMPARED TO BEFORE THE TREATMENT.
To learn more about this and other interventional radiology treatments, visit S-I-R-w-e-b.org.