A minimally invasive procedure can provide significant relief from knee osteoarthritis and may prevent the need for knee replacement surgery, according to data being presented at the Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago.

The 403 patients in the study, ages 40 to 90, underwent genicular artery blocking, or embolization, to treat moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis. The genicular arteries surround the knee joint.

A year after genicular artery embolization, patients’ scores on measures of quality-of-life and pain had improved by 87% and 71%, respectively, researchers reported. The treatments were particularly effective in patients with early-stage knee osteoarthritis.

In osteoarthritis, abnormal blood vessels can branch out from these arteries, grow into the bone, become inflamed or compressed, and cause pain, swelling and loss of function and mobility. Blocking the abnormal vessels helps disrupt those effects.

The procedure “can effectively reduce knee pain and improve quality of life early after the treatment, with these benefits being maintained over the long term," study leader Dr. Florian Nima Fleckenstein of Charite University Hospital Berlin said in a statement. This was especially true for people who have not had success with treatments like physical therapy or pain medications, Dr. Fleckenstein added. “This could potentially offer a new lease on life for many patients who suffer from debilitating pain and mobility issues caused by osteoarthritis.”