Does Radiofrequency Ablation of the Articular Nerves of the Knee Prior to Total Knee Replacement Improve Pain Outcomes

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee
• Interventions: Procedure: Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA); Procedure: Simulated Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)

• Registration Number: NCT02746874
• Lead Sponsor: Northwestern University

Brief Summary

More than 300,000 total knee joint replacement surgeries are performed per year in the United States and safe, effective management of post-operative pain in these patients, often elderly, deconditioned, obese, or with co-morbid diseases like sleep apnea, can be challenging and often require a multidisciplinary, multimodal approach. Opiates have been a mainstay of treatment in the post-operative period with varying degrees of success and complications. Inadequately controlled postoperative pain is not uncommon. Poorly controlled pain inhibits early mobilization and hinders post-operative physical therapy.

A new paradigm for treating post-operative pain following total knee replacement may be the use of cooled radiofrequency ablation (C-RFA) of the articular sensory nerve supply of the knee capsule prior to surgery, to desensitize the knee by blocking sensory afferents to the anterior capsule and thereby decrease post-operative pain. There are several publications that have demonstrated the use of RFA in patients with chronic knee pain from osteoarthritis however the use of RFA in the preoperative management of pain in patients undergoing total knee joint replacement has not been investigated.

The aim of this study is to determine if patients undergoing unilateral total knee replacement obtain any post-operative pain relieving benefits from C-RFA of the articular sensory nerve supply when performed prior to surgery, as compared to sham controls who receive only local anesthetic injections of these same nerves without the benefit of ablation treatment.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2016-04-18
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-04-18
• Study First Posted: 2016-04-21
• Study Start: 2016-12-01
• Primary Completion: 2017-06-30
• Study Completion: 2017-12-31
• Results First Submitted: 2019-08-20
• Status Verified: 2021-01
• Results First Submitted QC: 2021-01-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-01-12
• Results First Posted: 2021-02-02
• Last Update Posted: 2021-02-02

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 70

Inclusion Criteria

• osteoarthritis of the knee scheduled to undergo their first unilateral knee joint replacement
• willingness to undergo fluoroscopy-guided C-RFA or sham treatment

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Exclusion Criteria

• pregnancy,
• severe cardiac/pulmonary compromise,
• acute illness/infection,
• coagulopathy
• bleeding disorder,
• allergic reactions,
• contraindications to a local anesthetic

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Active Group	Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)	Radiofrequency ablation procedure of the three articular branches of the knee joint. The targets will be thermally lesioned for 2 minutes 30 seconds thereby causing neurolysis.
Placebo Group	Simulated Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)	Simulated Radiofrequency Ablation procedure of the three articular branches of the knee joint.The targets will be not be thermally lesioned for 2 minutes 30 seconds therefore not causing neurolysis.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Opioid Consumption After Surgery	48 hours	Pain medication will be calculated into oral morphine equivalents (ME) for the first 48 hours after surgery. Morphine equivalents determine a patient's cumulative intake of any drugs in the opioid class.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Oral Morphine Equivalent Milligrams at Baseline.	Pre operative	The total morphine equivalent (milligrams) reported by the subject at baseline.
Oral Morphine Equivalents at Baseline Compared to 48 Hours Post-operative.	48 hours	Total oral morphine equivalents at baseline compared to oral morphine equivalents at 48 hours post-operative.
Medication Quantification Scale III (MQSIII) Score 48 Hours Post-operative.	48 hours	Medication Quantification Scale III (MQSIII) is a method of quantifying different pain drug regimens by evaluating the use of 22 distinct drug classes (e.g., nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs \[NSAIDs\], antidepressants, benzodiazepines, opiates). A single value is calculated based on a patient's pain medication profile, taking into account dosages, and the types of pain medications prescribed. The score is calculated for a given pharmacologic class by taking its detriment weight, as determined by the physician, multiplied by a score given for dosage. The scores for each pharmacologic class prescribed to a patient are then summed to determine the overall score of a given pain medication regimen. The scale ranges from (0 low (good) 500 high (poor).
Number of Stairs Climbed on Post-operative Day 2.	Post operative day 2	Number of stairs climbed on post-operative day 2 prior to discharge from the hospital.
Distance Walked on Post-operative Day 2.	Post operative day 2	Distance in feet walked on post-operative day 2 prior to discharge from the hospital.
Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) Score 6 Months Post Operative	6 months post operative	Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) score 6 months post operative. The WOMAC score is a survey comprised of 24 items divided into three subscales: Pain (5 items), stiffness (2 items), and physical function (17 items). Subjects are asked a range of questions about their ability to carry out daily activities such as using the stairs, rising from sitting, lying in bed and conducting light or heavy domestic duties. Items are scored on a scale of 0-4 (lower scores indicate lower levels of symptoms or physical disability). Values are summed up for a combined WOMAC score of 0 (low) to 96 (high) Higher scores on the WOMAC indicate worse pain, stiffness, and functional limitation.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Anesthesiology Pain Medicine Center; 🇺🇸 Chicago, Illinois, United States