Genicular nerve radiofrequency in osteoarthritis-related chronic knee pain

Abstract

Introduction: The use of genicular nerve radiofrequency procedures to treat chronic knee pain due to osteoarthritis has surged in 2011, though many questions remain regarding anatomical targets, selection criteria, and evidence for effectiveness. Materials and methods: An electronic search was performed from January 2011 to April 2020. Databases searched included PubMed®, Embase®, Google Scholar and Web of Science (WoS). The initial search found 106 articles. Thirty-three articles were taken for this review. Results: After analyzing five open clinical trials, one cross-sectional study, four prospective observational studies, eight neuroanatomy studies, three retrospective studies, four clinical cases, two case series, three literature reviews and three randomized, double blind, controlled trials; we found genicular nerve radiofrequency achieves a pain reduction and functional improvement with a variable duration, between three and twelve months. There is no consensus regarding the neuroanatomy of the knee joint capsule, the location of the targets, the radiofrequency parameters used and the usefulness of diagnostic blocks. Conclusion: More clinical trials are needed to standardize the parameters used and confirm the positive results of genicular nerve radiofrequency. Although there are few cases of adverse events associated with radiofrequency of the geniculate nerves, more studies are needed to support the safety of this technique and its long-term side effects in osteoarthritis knee pain management associated that do not respond to other previous medical treatments.