Evaluation of Pain Relief After Neurotomy in Chronic Knee Osteoarthritis

Background: Nowadays, pain and disability due to chronic knee arthritis is a very common problem in middle aged people. A lot of modalities for management are available, including conservative analgesics and up to surgical interventions. Radiofrequency ablation of genicular nerves is assumed to be an effective less invasive and safe pain alleviation modality. Objectives: to evaluate long term pain relief after genicular nerves radiofrequency neurotomy by using the Oxford Knee Score. Study design: prospective randomized single blind clinical trial. Methods: this study involved 60 patients with moderate to severe osteoarthritis. 30 patients received the traditional methods for OA treatment (group 1) while the other 30 patients underwent the GN radiofrequency neurotomy (group 2). The outcome was measured using the Oxford Knee Score along a follow up period of 3 months. Results: there was significant difference in the improvement of the Oxford Knee score at 1 st week, 1 st and 3 rd months following the procedure with better results at group 2. Limitations: We recommend the use of the radiofrequency (RF) neurotomy on a larger number of OA patients, with a longer follow-up period. Conclusion: RF can ameliorate pain and disability in chronic knee osteoarthritis in a safe and effective manner.