Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40052158›Full record

ArticleJournal of pain research2025

Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Knee Joint Pain Using a V-Shaped Active Tip Needle: A Single-Center Retrospective Observational Study.

Giuliano Lo Bianco, Marinella Pugliesi, Giovanni Misseri, Sean Li, Miles Day, Michael E Schatman, Alaa Abd-Elsayed, R Jason Yong, Christopher L Robinson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of pain research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Review
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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

9 authors.

Giuliano Lo BiancoAnesthesiology and Pain Department, Foundation G. Giglio Cefalù, Palermo, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2705-1548
Marinella PugliesiAnestesia, Rianimazione e Terapia del Dolore, Dipartimento Rizzoli Sicilia di Bagheria, Bagheria, Palermo, Italy.
Giovanni MisseriAnesthesiology and Pain Department, Foundation G. Giglio Cefalù, Palermo, Italy.
Sean LiNational Spine & Pain Centers, Shrewsbury, NJ, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0492-1179
Miles DayTraweek-Racz Endowed Professor in Pain Research, Department of Anesthesiology, Texas Tech University HSC, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Michael E SchatmanDepartment of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1019-0413
Alaa Abd-ElsayedDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
R Jason YongAnesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Christopher L RobinsonAnesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6276-9056

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Chronic knee pain from osteoarthritis (OA) affects a significant proportion of adults over 40. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains the standard for advanced OA, yet up to 20% of patients experience chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation (GNRFA) can alleviate pain in those unresponsive to conservative treatments or TKA. However, anatomical variability of the genicular nerves may limit treatment durability. This retrospective, single-center observational study investigated whether using a novel V-shaped active tip needle-which creates larger lesions-could improve outcomes. Methods: Fifty patients with symptomatic knee OA or CPSP, who had a ≥50% reduction in pain after diagnostic genicular nerve blocks, underwent GNRFA with a V-shaped active tip needle between September 2020 and January 2022. Pain and function were assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) at rest and during movement, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions (DN4), and EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) at baseline and 1, 3, 6, and 9 months post-procedure. Results: By 6 months, 64% of patients showed ≥50% reduction in VAS pain scores, sustained at 9 months (p<0.0001). Median WOMAC scores improved from 62.0 at baseline to 40.0 at 6 months (p<0.0001). DN4 scores declined from a median of 4.0 at baseline to 2.0 at 6 months and 1.0 at 9 months (p<0.001). EQ-5D scores demonstrated significant enhancement in quality of life (p<0.01). Pain intensity differences at rest and during movement remained substantially improved at 9 months (p<0.0001). Conclusion: GNRFA using a V-shaped active tip needle is a promising intervention for chronic knee pain, offering significant and sustained pain relief and functional improvement. Larger lesions created by the novel needle may overcome anatomical challenges, though further randomized studies are warranted to validate efficacy and safety.

Indexed as

chronic knee osteoarthritischronic knee paingenicular nerveneuromodulationpain managementradiofrequency ablation

Identifiers

PMID40052158
PMCPMC11882468

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.