What is GAE in Altoona, State College, & serving Bedford, PA?
Arthritis of the knee often involves inflammation of the lining of the joint (synovitis) which is characterized by excessive blood vessels and nerves causing swelling and pain.
GAE (Genicular Artery Embolization) is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat arthritis of the knee.
The procedure involves inserting a very small catheter into the femoral artery or the ankle artery loading to the genicular artery that supply the knee area.
The goal is to look for areas with too much of the blood flow known as "arterial blush". Once identified, a small amount of tiny particles are injected into the artery to get rid of the arterial blush without affecting the blood flow in the main genicular artery. This significantly reduces the blood flow in the area of inflammation which reduces swelling and pain.
GAE can provide significant pain relief for patients who have not responded well to other conservative and steroid injection treatments.
Who Qualifies for GAE?
- Patients with osteoarthritis who have tried all prescribed treatments (PT, pain management, joint injections) and continue to have significant pain
- Patients who are not ready or not a good candidate for knee replacement
FACTS!
- Covered by most insurances
- In-office procedure / Local Anesthesia
- Takes 30-45 minutes
- Short recovery period
- 70-80% of patients report significant improvement in their symptoms
Take the next step!
- Call our office to set up an in-office evaluation!
- Once your evaluation is completed and all necessary information is obtained, we will obtain insurance authorization for GAE.
- Arrange your procedure date at your convenience.
- STEP INTO LIFE with much less pain!