When Patrick Schruben began experiencing pain in his right knee, he was hopeful that he could alleviate the pain without having a knee replacement. Since Patrick was active throughout his life, he wanted a procedure that didn’t involve a long and painful recovery. He learned about GAE, or genicular artery embolization.
GAE is a procedure where a catheter is inserted into the groin and particles are injected into the inflamed arteries surrounding the knee joint; the particles alleviate pain by reducing blood flow to the targeted area. The procedure, performed at UCLA, was a success. Patrick was able to walk without knee pain the next day. He can walk for long periods of time now, pain free.
Another issue that Patrick Schruben had was tennis elbow, medically known as lateral epicondylitis. He decided to have a similar procedure since it was successful for his knee. The alternative would have been routine steroid injections. The procedure was successful for his elbow. It is known as elbow artery embolization, or EAE. A catheter is inserted into the wrist instead of the groin. Patrick recovered in a week after the procedure.
Like many others, Patrick plays the popular sport, pickleball. In fact, due to its popularity there are more patients now seeking medical help due to injuries of the elbow. Since Patrick had the procedures at UCLA, he is able to play pickleball, walk long distances and do multiple push-ups. At 80 years old, he is a success story.
The GAE procedure is good for patients who are not ideal candidates for knee replacement. For example, a medical condition that makes the surgery risky, or a patient may be too young, or prefer not to repeat the surgery in 20 years. A knee replacement also requires a long recovery and rehabilitation time. If you do have a GAE procedure, you can still have knee replacement in the future if you desire.
In regard to GAE for the knee, UCLA’s Dr. Siddharth Padia says that UCLA Health has treated the highest number of patients in the country.
For more information visit:
https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/siddharth-padia