Pain relief following genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation: does knee compartment matter?

Aim: To investigate the effect of knee osteoarthritis (OA) compartment location on pain relief following genicular radiofrequency ablation. Materials & methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on 62 patients. Visual analog scale scores at 3 and 6 months post procedure were compared with baseline and between compartment groups. Results: Pain significantly improved for all patients at 3 and 6 months (p < 0.001 and p = 0.005, respectively). Medial compartment OA was a significant predictor of improvement at 3 months (p = 0.042). Patellofemoral compartment OA was a significant predictor for a higher visual analog scale at 3 months (p = 0.018). Conclusion: Compartmental location of knee OA impacts pain relief following genicular radiofrequency ablation. Future protocols could target nerves based on which compartments are more affected on imaging. Lay abstract: Aim: To investigate the effect of knee arthritis location on pain relief following planned nerve disruption using radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Materials & methods: This study analyzed existing records of 62 cases of patients who underwent an ablation procedure to the sensory nerves of the knee. On a scale from one to ten, pain after RFA at 3 and 6 months was compared with baseline and compared between arthritis location groups. Results: Pain decreased for all patients at 3 and 6 months. Inner knee arthritis was a predictor of pain improvement at 3 months. Arthritis of the kneecap was a predictor for worse pain at 3 months. Conclusion: Location of knee arthritis impacts pain relief following nerve disruption using RFA. Future protocols could target nerves based on arthritis location.