Treatments we provide
Musculoskeletal Embolisation
What is musculoskeletal embolisation?
Musculoskeletal embolisation involves blocking the specific tiny abnormal blood vessels causing joint and tendon pain and killing off any associated abnormal pain nerve fibres. It treats the body’s abnormal reaction to injury and breaks the cycle of recurrent pain.
How is musculoskeletal embolisation performed?
The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic and twilight sedation. A catheter (hollow tube) is inserted into an artery in the groin or wrist. Under low dose x-ray guidance, the catheter is advanced to arteries in the region of the patient’s pain. A microcatheter (very narrow catheter) is advanced into the abnormal new blood vessels at the joint/tendon causing the patient’s pain. The abnormal blood vessels are blocked with tiny particles.
The procedure takes approximately 60-90 minutes.
Who is suitable for MSK Embolisation?
Patients with joint or tendon problems persisting for more than 3 months are potentially suitable for musculoskeletal embolization. The most common type of msucloskeletal embolsiation is geniculate artery embolization as a treatment for pain associated with knee osteoarthritis.
Patient’s with recurrent haemarthoses (for example, haemophilia patients) may benefit from geniculate artery embolization (a type of musculoskeletal embolisation).
Book a consult with Dr Ryan McConnell to discuss whether musculoskeletal embolisation is a suitable treatment option for you.
What tests are needed?
Dr McConnell will need to review images affecting the painful boy region, either with ultrasound, MRI or X-ray. He will also ask patients to complete several questionnaires to score the severity of the pain.
What are the risks?
A relatively new procedure that is minimally invasive and is very safe. However, rare complications include bleeding/bruising at the skin entry site as well as a risk of non-target embolization where particles injected during the procedure go to areas other than the region of pain.
How effective is the procedure?
The procedure is typically successful in decreasing or resolving the patient’s chronic pain. In patients with grade 1 or grade 2 knee osteoarthritis, studies have shown an 86.3% clinical success at 6 months, which persisted in 79.8% of patients at 2 years.
Recovery
Musculoskeletal embolisation is usually performed as a day only procedure, meaning patients will be able to go home the same day. After the procedure, patients will stay in recovery for 4 hours to ensure there is no abnormal bleeding at the arterial puncture site within the groin or wrist.
Most patients tolerate the procedure well with minimal post-procedural pain. However, sometimes patients may experience a transient worsening of their pain post-procedure which usually returns to baseline within 2 weeks and then improves.
Patients may require 1-2 days off after the procedure to recover. It is recommended to avoid exercise for 1 week post-procedure.
Follow-up
- Dr McConnell will contact you 2 weeks post-procedure to see how you are progressing.
- Patient’s will be required to fill in pain questionnaires at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 1 year post-procedure.
- Dr McConnell will review the patient 3 months post-procedure in his consulting rooms to assess the outcome after the emoblisation procedure.