Abstract
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common condition associated with pain and physical impairment
in a large segment of the population. The traditional treatment algorithm progresses
from conservative modalities to nonsurgical options to surgical intervention. Surgical
intervention often provides reliable pain relief but not all patients are surgical
candidates and there are some patients who prefer not to have surgery. Cooled radio
frequency ablation (C-RFA) is a treatment with the potential to provide pain relief
for patients who no longer benefit from noninvasive modalities and who desire an alternative
to surgery. The objective of this review article is to provide the rationale, available
evidence, indications, and outcomes associated with C-RFA for the treatment of chronic
knee OA. A total of eight reports that use C-RFA in the treatment of chronic knee
pain were identified and analyzed. There were two prospective trials, one retrospective
cohort study, and five case reports or case series. C-RFA is an emerging procedure
with encouraging early results; however, additional long-term prospective clinical
trials are necessary to further characterize how C-RFA can best be used to treat chronic
knee pain.
Keywords
osteoarthritis - cooled radio frequency ablation - chronic knee pain - alternative
pain relief options
