Role of ultrasound in diagnostic genicular nerve block for knee osteoarthritis pain

Objective: To evaluate the role of ultrasound in diagnostic genicular nerve block for knee osteoarthritis pain Introduction: Radiofrequency neurotomy of the genicular nerves is a novel technique for the alleviation of knee pain in patients with advanced osteoarthritis (OA). The efficacy of radiofrequency neurotomy may be enhanced by prior positive diagnostic genicular block. To date, genicular nerve injections have been performed under fluoroscopic guidance, in which needle is placed with reference to bony landmarks. Ultrasound-guided genicular nerve injections have recently been shown to be accurate. In the present study, we have evaluated the role of ultrasound (US) to achieve successful diagnostic genicular nerve block. Materials and Methods: 20 patients (age 50-80 years) with advanced knee osteoarthritis pain (kellgran Lawrence grade 3-4) who failed conservative treatment underwent ultrasound guided genicular nerve block. The genicular nerve block was performed on a total of 24 knees. Visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain of each was assessed before and 2 hours after the procedure. Results: VAS scores were found to reduce from 75.2312.89 mm to 29.52 10.71 mm post-procedure (P50% pain relief. Conclusion: Ultrasound is a valuable tool for performing the diagnostic genicular block of the knee. Keywords: Knee Pain, Genicular nerve block, Diagnostic block, Ultrasound in chronic pain, Radiofrequency ablation, Osteoarthritis knee.