Comparative Effectiveness of Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation and Intra-Articular Pulsed Radiofrequency in the Management of Knee Osteoarthritis Pain (GNRFT & IAPRF)

Ankara City Hospital

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Radiofrequency Ablation; Knee Osteoarthristis

Treatments: Procedure: IAPRF- Intraarticular pulsed radiofrequency; Procedure: GNRFT- genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07098455

E2-25-10611

Details and patient eligibility

About

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease characterized by progressive cartilage deterioration, osteophyte formation, subchondral sclerosis, and a number of biochemical and morphological changes in weight-bearing joints that are affected by genetic, mechanical, and biochemical factors. The prevalence of secondary chronic knee pain in OA is more than 12% in individuals over the age of 60. It is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders in elderly patients and has become a global health problem. Standard treatments for OA include physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), tramadol, opioids, intra-articular hyaluronic acid, or steroids. In more severe cases, surgical knee arthroplasty should be considered. But long-term use of NSAIDs is associated with stomach bleeding, adverse cardiovascular events, and kidney failure. Opioids are often used, but a large number of side effects are encountered, especially in the elderly. Knee surgery is not always possible and can cause complications such as hematomas, infections, and damage to the surrounding tissue.

Radiofrequency (RF) application (pulsed or continuous) is a neuromodulatory or neurolytic technique that represents an alternative in pain due to osteoarthritis. RF therapy is one of the conservative treatments that has many advantages, such as minimal invasiveness, rapid recovery, and less negative response. Radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) destroys the integrity of peripheral nerves using hyperthermia and thereby blocks the transmission of pain signals, while pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) regulates neurological functions or inhibits the production of immunoinflammatory factors (e.g., IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6) by using electric fields to affect their production, thereby relieving pain in patients.

Genicular nerve radiofrequency thermocoagulation application and knee intra-articular pulsed radiofrequency application are the two radiofrequency methods routinely applied in the treatment of gonarthrosis-induced pain in our clinic. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of these two methods and compare their outcomes.

Enrollment: 30 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients over 18 years of age;
• Patients who have pain due to knee osteoarthritis
• Patients who agree to undergo knee geniculate nerve thermocoagulation or knee intra-articular pulsed radiofrequency therapy and follow-up.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients using anticoagulants and those with coagulation disorders,
• Patients with psychomotor disorders,
• Patients who have undergone intra-articular injections, interventional procedures, or surgery for knee osteoarthritis in the last year,
• Patients with bacterial infection or infectious discharge in the area to be treated,
• Patients with allergies to local anesthetics, and pregnant and breastfeeding patients

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

GNRFT - Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation

Experimental group

Description:

Patients in this group will undergo ultrasound-guided genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation.

Treatment:

Procedure: GNRFT- genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation

IAPRF - Intra-articular pulsed radiofrequency

Experimental group

Description:

KNEE INTRAARTICULAR PULSED RADIOFREQUENCY WILL BE APPLIED TO PATIENTS IN THIS GROUP

Treatment:

Procedure: IAPRF- Intraarticular pulsed radiofrequency