Transcatheter embolisation in chronic musculoskeletal disorders.

Chronic musculoskeletal conditions affect millions of patients worldwide resulting in disability, reduced quality of life, and have a profound economic impact on the individual and society. Current treatment strategies fail patients who have not responded to conservative management but are not surgical candidates. Over the last decade, transcatheter embolization has emerged as a potential treatment for these difficult to treat patients. By exploiting pathological neovascularisation within conditions such as knee osteoarthritis, adhesive capsulitis, and tendinopathy, embolization has been used to improve patients' pain and function. This review explores the rationale for musculoskeletal trans catheter embolisation, illustrating the technique, and latest evidence for the most common procedures.