533 - Success Rate of Fluoroscopically-Guided Genicular Nerve Blocks for Knee Osteoarthritis

Objectives: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the genicular nerves has been shown to be an effective treatment for knee osteoarthritis. A positive response to anesthetic blocks of the genicular nerves is typically required prior to RFA; however, the success rate of genicular nerve blocks in patients with knee osteoarthritis is frequently not reported in RFA studies. The purpose of this study is describe the outcome of successful knee genicular nerve blocks.

Design: This was a prospective study using historical data. Inclusion criteria included 1) patients with knee osteoarthritis, 2) age 30+yrs, 3) completion of genicular nerve blocks between January 2020 and July 2023. Demographic information included sex, age, race/ethnicity, and body mass index. Outcome variables included the percentage improvement in pain, and whether the patient obtained >50% improvement and >80% improvement. Each knee was analyzed individually with bilateral procedures. Independent Samples T Tests and Chi^2 Tests were used to assess group differences, and linear and logistic regression analyses were used to assess for predictive factors of the outcome variables (alpha=0.05).

Results: 188 patients comprising 240 knees (Sex: M=78, F=162; Age: 68.1+/-12.1 yrs; BMI: 34.7+/-8.9 kg/m^2; Race: White=196, Black=33, Other=11; Smoking Status: Never=168, Current/Prior=72) were analyzed. The average percentage of pain improvement was 79.0+/4.1% with 90.4% achieving at least 50% improvement and 78.8% achieving at least 80% improvement. No group differences in total percentage of pain improvement, 50% improvement, or 80% improvement were found based on Sex, Race, or Smoking Status (p >0.05 for all comparisons). None of the variables (Sex, Age, BMI, Race, Smoking Status) loaded into regression models for predicting the outcome variables.

Conclusions: The rate of successful fluoroscopy-guided genicular nerve blocks prior to a potential RFA procedure is quite high and does not appear to vary according to patient factors. Clinicians can use this information when advising patients regarding this treatment option.