Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34716965›Full record

ArticlePain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain2022

A retrospective study on patients with chronic knee pain treated with ultrasound-guided radiofrequency of the genicular nerves (RECORGEN trial).

Amy Belba, Thibaut Vanneste, Sander M J Van Kuijk, Dieter Mesotten, Roel Mestrum, Koen Van Boxem, Astrid Van Lantschoot, Johan Bellemans, Marc Van de Velde, Jan Van Zundert

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. 9. Chronic knee pain.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2025
    Review
  6. Review
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  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Amy BelbaDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, Hospital Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-9422-8940
Thibaut VannesteDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, Hospital Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.
Sander M J Van KuijkDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology & Medical Technology Assessment, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-2796-729X
Dieter MesottenDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, Hospital Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.
Roel MestrumDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, Hospital Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.
Koen Van BoxemDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, Hospital Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.
Astrid Van LantschootDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, Hospital Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.
Johan BellemansFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Marc Van de VeldeDepartment of Anesthesiology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Jan Van ZundertDepartment of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, Hospital Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium.
Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg · BEMaastricht University Medical Centre · NLSt. Marien Hospital · DEUniversitair Ziekenhuis Leuven · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionRadiofrequency (RF) treatment of the genicular nerves is a promising treatment for chronic osteoarthritic and persistent postsurgical knee pain (PPSP), refractory to conventional medical management.

methodsThe RECORGEN study is a retrospective single-center cohort study of patients treated with ultrasound-guided conventional RF of the genicular nerves for chronic knee pain in Hospital Oost-Limburg, Genk from September 2017 to June 2020. Subgroup analysis based on etiology of pain (PPSP and degenerative knee pain) was performed in addition to the total study population analysis. Outcome parameters were global perceived effect (GPE), Numeric Rating Scale for pain, consumption of strong opioids, and safety of the treatment at 6 weeks and cross-sectionally at a variable time point. Treatment success was defined as GPE≥50%.

resultsSixty-eight cases were screened of which 59 (46 diagnosed with PPSP and 13 with degenerative knee pain) were included in the study. Treatment success at 6 weeks was achieved in 19 of 59 interventions (32.2%) and was similar in both groups. Seventeen responders were evaluated at follow-up. 45.1% (8/17) continued to have a positive effect at the second time point. The mean duration of effect of the RF treatment was 8.3 months. Safety analysis at 6 weeks and at the second time point showed a good safety profile of the treatment.

conclusionConventional RF of the genicular nerves was clinically successful in more than 30% of the study population refractory to conventional medical management. Overall, the treatment was well tolerated. The mean duration of effect was 8.3 months.

Indexed as

Osteoarthritis, KneeCohort StudiesHumansPainPain ManagementRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeUltrasonography, Interventionalchronic knee paingenicular nervesosteoarthritispersistent postsurgical painradiofrequency ablation

Identifiers

PMID34716965
PMCPMC9299475
OpenAlexW3209719286

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.