ST 2025

Welcome to SIR Today, your guide to the events, programming and faculty that make the SIR annual meeting a memorable meeting for the interventional radiology community each year. Watch for more preview content to be published in the coming weeks, as well as daily previews and recaps of scientific sessions, award presentations, and during the week of the meeting in March. For the latest details on presenters, times and locations, refer to the SIR 2025 website and the annual meeting mobile app.

New study indicates long-term durability of GAE

Abstract 144: Single Center One- and Two-Year Outcomes of Genicular Artery Embolization for Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis

Patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA) may find long-term relief after receiving genicular artery embolization (GAE), a new study shows.

Single Center One- and Two-Year Outcomes of Genicular Artery Embolization for Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis, one of the SIR 2025 Featured Abstracts, presents the long-term data from a single-center retrospective survey of 27 patients who received permanent microspheres during GAE therapy. This therapy has been researched for several years in Japan but has only recently begun to gain traction in the United States, where further research is still needed to establish efficacy.

“Literature regarding the long-term safety and durability of GAE outside of the research done in Japan by Yuji Okono, MD, PhD, is limited,” said Wali Badar, MD, lead author. “We wanted to understand these effects on our population in the United States.”

During routine follow-up, Dr. Badar said that he and his team felt that the procedure was benefiting their patient population several months to years after the procedure and wanted to quantify the benefit and validate the intervention.

Researchers reviewed data from 30 knee treatments and found at 1-year follow-up, patients’ Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) Pain showed a 19.9% reduction in pain, which increased to 21.4% at 2-year follow-up.

In addition to establishing a long-term benefit, Dr. Badar said his team also found certain factors that may serve as predictive tools for long-term outcomes, such as BMI. However, future long-term, randomized studies are required to better understand long-term outcomes.

“We believe that our findings will contribute to growing literature in support of GAE as a long-term therapy for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis,” said Dr. Badar. “This may lead the way for comparative studies between GAE and other OA therapies with longer-term endpoints where differences may be more apparent.”

Dr. Badar will present his findings at SIR 2025 on Monday, March 31, at 3 p.m. during the Pain Management 1 session.