Research progress on arterial embolization in treatment of knee osteoarthritis

doi:10.3877/cma.j.issn.1674-134X.2025.06.015

Abstract

Abstract:

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic degenerative disease characterized by impaired knee joint function and structural damage, with an increasing incidence. Currently, conservative treatment is often used for early to mid-stage KOA, while surgical intervention is considered for advanced stages. However, these treatments have certain limitations. Genicular artery embolization (GAE) has emerged as a promising treatment for KOA, offering significant pain relief, minimal invasiveness, and a low incidence of severe complications. As research on GAE continues to grow, this article reviewed the mechanisms, procedural details, clinical efficacy, and safety of GAE in treating KOA, providing a reference for clinical practice.

Key words: Osteoarthritis, knee, Embolism, Treatment outcome

Qiong Cheng, Hai Zhou, Zhongzhi Jia, Kai Wang, Ganggang Wang. Research progress on arterial embolization in treatment of knee osteoarthritis[J]. Chinese Journal of Joint Surgery(Electronic Edition), 2025, 19(06): 749-754.

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URL: https://zhgjwkzz.cma-cmc.com.cn/EN/10.3877/cma.j.issn.1674-134X.2025.06.015

https://zhgjwkzz.cma-cmc.com.cn/EN/Y2025/V19/I06/749

Figures/Tables 4

Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the arterial anatomy around the kneeNote: A-superficial femoral artery; B-descending genicular artery; C-popliteal artery; D-articular branch of descending genicular artery; E-saphenous branch of descending genicular artery; F-superior lateral genicular artery; G-superior medial genicular artery; H-mMiddle genicular artery; I-inferior lateral genicular artery; J -inferior medial genicular artery; K-anterior tibial recurrent artery; L-anterior tibial artery; M-tibio-peroneal trunk

Figure 2 Angiographies before and after embolization of the superior medial genicular artery in right knee using imipenem and cilastatin sodium. A is angiography before embolization, showing abnormal staining in neovascular area of superior medial genicular artery(the circle region)；B is angiography after embolization, showing disappearance of abnormal staining in medial articular surface and medial epicondyle of femur (the circle region)

Figure 3 Angiographies before and after embolization of the descending medial genicular artery in right knee using imipenem and cilastatin sodium. A is angiography before embolization, showing abnormal staining in neovascular area of the descending genicular artery(the circle region)；B is angiography after embolization, showing disappearance of abnormal staining in medial articular surface (the circle region)

Table 1 Comparison of clinical studies with different embolic agents

栓塞剂	材料性质	研究类型	患者（例）	膝关节数（个）	年龄（岁）	性别（男/女）	随访时间（月）	严重度（Kellgren-Lawrence分级）
Embozene微球^[19]	永久性	回顾性研究	14	20	73.14	3/11	24	2~4
Optisphere颗粒^[18]	暂时性	随机对照研究	14	14	63.9	2/12	12	1~3
Embosphere微球^[20]	永久性	前瞻性研究	21	21	67.2	3 /18	3	1~3
IPM/CS ^[21]	暂时性	前瞻性研究	10	未提及	62.2	4/6	24	1~2
碘化油^[22]	暂时性	前瞻性研究	22	未提及	66.0	9/13	3	3~4
明胶海绵颗粒^[23]	暂时性	回顾性研究	71	97	64.0	17/54	6	未提及
聚乙烯醇^[24]	永久性	前瞻性研究	33	37	66.6	未提及	12	2~3

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