Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2025
Author Spotlight: Minimally Invasive Ultrasound-Guided Acupotomy in Knee Osteoarthritis Treatment
Published on: April 26, 2024
ULTRASOUND-GUIDED GENICULAR NERVE BLOCK FOR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A CASE SERIES
Ramon Chaves Ramalho1, Tifani Dawidowicz Fernandes1, Felipe de Freitas Peraro1
1Instituto Prevent Senior, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Objective:
Knee genicular nerve blocks have been a topic of discussion among various types of treatment for knee osteoarthritis. This study aims to evaluate the pain and function of patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis after undergoing ultrasound-guided genicular nerve blockade using pharmacological agents.
Methods:
The study included 36 patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis, comprising 17 bilateral cases, totaling 53 knees undergoing UGNB using a mixture of triamcinolone, ropivacaine, and lidocaine under ultrasound guidance. Epidemiological data, pain outcomes measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and function assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) score were evaluated before and after 12 weeks of the procedure.
Results:
The mean age was 75.5 years (standard deviation of 9.4 years), with a predominance of females and right-sided involvement. There was a mean reduction of 3.0 points in VAS (p < 0.001) and 15.4 points in WOMAC (p < 0.001). Two cases reported only minor and transient complications related to the procedure (skin anesthesia and edema).
Conclusion:
Ultrasound-guided genicular nerve blockade using pharmacological agents demonstrated pain reduction and improved function with a low complication rate after 12 weeks in patients with knee gonarthrosis. Level of Evidence IV, Case Series.
