ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT05423587GENESISIIUpdated Dec 3, 2024

Genicular Artery Embolisation for Knee Osteoarthritis II

An interventional study of Genicular Artery Embolisation and Genicular Artery Injection in Knee Osteoarthritis, sponsored by Varian, a Siemens Healthineers Company. Recruiting at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 45 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-12-03.

Sponsored by Varian, a Siemens Healthineers Company (part of Siemens Healthineers) · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Oct 2022; still recruiting 3 years 11 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
110
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
45 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This clinical study is designed as a double-blind sham controlled randomised trial with the option of sham group crossover to receive the GAE treatment at 6 months after unblinding. This study will determine if embolisation of abnormal neovasculature arising from branches of the genicular arteries reduces pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study patient population will consist of up to 110 subjects with knee pain for at least 3 months that is resistant to conservative treatment measures. Subjects will be treated with knee embolisation or 2 mL of saline in the sham arm. At 6 months, all subjects in the sham arm will be allowed to cross-over and receive the embolisation procedure with a follow-up duration of 18 months. The total planned study duration is 3.5 years.

Read the detailed description

This is a single-center, randomised trial to compare patients who receive genicular artery embolisation of the knee with patients who receive a sham procedure with saline injection.

The study population will consist of up to 110 subjects with knee pain that is resistant to conservative treatment measures for at least 3 months. Subjects will be followed for 24 months. At 6 months patients will be unblinded and offered an optional crossover to receive the GAE procedure with 18 months follow-up.

Alongside a sham surgery placebo arm, a high-quality systematic review of surgical RCTs was used as a suitable benchmark to inform the sample size and power calculation.

With a 0-100 scale for the primary endpoint of KOOS4, assuming a 1:1 randomization, a mean difference of 6.4 (i.e., effect size) between GAE and Sham treatments, a common standard deviation of 10 (i.e., a Cohen's D of 0.64), an alpha error of 2-sided 0.05 and a power of 0.85, the 2-arm total sample size the requirement is 88 subjects (44 each arm) by Normal approximation. Allowing for a participant dropout rate of 20%, the enrolment goal is 110 participants, approximately 55 in each study arm.

All study subjects will undergo a physical exam and history, a contrast-enhanced knee MRI, blood serum and neuropschological assessment with a functional head MRI to identify potential predictors of treatment success.

In the GAE treatment arm subject will undergo a genicular artery embolization with Embozene microspheres (100 micron) (Varian Medical Systems) and the Sham group will receive saline through the transarterial catheter through groin access.

Participants will be randomly assigned to have particulate embolisation with 100-micron Embozene particles, or to injection with 2 ml heparinized normal saline (sham arm) At 6 months participants will be unblinded and there will be an open extension period for 6 months, in which participants in the sham arm will be offered GAE.

Follow-up visits will be at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months post randomisation. At these visits subjects will complete the KOOS score, the visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, an analgesia diary, and at specific time points the EQ-5D-3L, and report any new adverse events (AEs).All subjects will undergo a contrast-enhanced knee MRI at baseline and at 6 and 12 months.

At 6 months after unblinding the sham group subjects have the option to cross over and receive the GAE treatment with follow-up at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 18 months.

02

Conditions studied

  • Knee Osteoarthritis

Keywords

  • Microspheres
  • Embozene
  • Artery Embolization
  • Joint diseases
  • Osteoarthritis, Knee
03

In context

Osteoarthritis, Knee

3,391 studies on the registry are indexed under Osteoarthritis, Knee; 628 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 110 is above the median of 69 across 2,808 interventional studies indexed under Osteoarthritis, Knee.

Browse Osteoarthritis, Knee studies →

Lead sponsor

Varian, a Siemens Healthineers Company is the lead sponsor of 28 studies on the registry; 7 are open to participants now.

Of its 8 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 4 (50%) have results posted.

First submitted after Varian became part of Siemens Healthineers.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
45 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

ALL inclusion criteria below need to be fulfilled for the patient to participate in the study.

  • Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study.
  • Participants aged 45 years or above.
  • Grade 1-3 knee OA on X-ray as per Kellgren-Lawrence Grading Scale
  • Knee pain for at least 3 months resistant to conservative non-surgical treatment (e.g., physiotherapy, steroid injections, weight loss programs, PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections)
  • Be able to lie flat for at least 6 hours-this will be assessed by asking how participants sleep (bed, chair recumbent, semi-recumbent) and assessing what prevents them from lying flat overnight (breathlessness, back pain, etc)
  • Minimum score of 50 on baseline 0 - 100 VAS

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

The patient may not enter the study if ANY of the following apply:

  • Rheumatoid arthritis or infectious arthritis
  • Severe knee OA (grade 4 on x-ray as per Kellgren-Lawrence Grade)
  • Renal impairment: eGFR \<45. Assessed from medical records or a blood test if required as is part of standard clinical practice when considering a patient for a therapeutic intervention.
  • Patients with a bleeding diathesis, or other bleeding risk such as patients on warfarin which cannot be stopped easily (e.g., patients with metallic heart valves) assessed by asking the patient and from medical records. Uncorrectable bleeding diathesis: INR>1.6, Platelets \<50,000
  • Requires oxygen on ambulation. Assessed by asking the patient and from medical records.
  • Low life expectancy (\<1 year)
  • Communication difficulty due to language barriers
  • Contraindication to MRI
  • Known allergies to barium sulfate, 3-aminopropyltrialkoxysilane, polyphosphazene or IV radiopaque contrast agent
  • History of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) with intermittent claudication and/or rest pain
  • Pregnancy or positive pregnancy test (the participant will be exposed to ionising radiation during the fluoroscopy procedure)
  • Any other significant disease or disorder which, in the opinion of the recruiting physician, may put the participants at risk because of participation in the study, or may influence the result of the study or the participant's ability to participate
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Care provider)
Enrollment
110 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    GAE Treatment

    The genicular artery embolisation procedure identifies abnormal blood vessels in the knee via angiogram imaging. Through groin access and puncture of the femoral artery through a small sheath tiny microspheres (Embozene(TM)) will be injected into this area and reduce blood flow in order to reduce pain.

    Procedure: Genicular Artery Embolisation

  • Sham comparator
    Sham Procedure

    In the control (sham) arm patients will not undergo the embolisation procedure with microspheres, instead they will have 2ml of saline injected into their knee artery supplying the abnormal area of the knee. The remainder of the procedure is otherwise identical between the two groups.

    Procedure: Genicular Artery Injection

Interventions

  • ProcedureGenicular Artery Embolisation

    Transarterial catheter directed embolisation of hypervascularity in patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis

    Also known as: Embozene Microspheres, Embozene

  • ProcedureGenicular Artery Injection

    Transarterial catheter directed injection of normal (0.9%) saline in patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Determine if embolisation of abnormal neovasculature arising from branches of the genicular arteries reduces pain in patients with knee OA compared to Sham treatment

    Change from baseline to 6 months post randomisation in the mean score on four Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score subscales, covering pain, symptoms, activities of daily living, and quality of life (KOOS4); scores range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best)

    Time frame: 6 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Determine clinical success

    The proportion of subjects reporting at least a 10- point improvement in KOOS scores at 6-months (where a 10-point change from baseline is defined as the minimum clinically important difference (MCID)

    Time frame: 6 months

  2. Assessment of pain relief

    Pain relief at 6 months post randomisation, using the patient-reported 0 - 100 visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score

    Time frame: 6 months

  3. Determine if embolisation improves pain, function, and quality of life in patients with knee OA compared to Sham treatment

    All 5 subscales of the KOOS questionnaire will be analysed at 6 months post randomisation.

    Time frame: 6 months

Other outcomes

  1. Determine safety and toxicity

    Proportion of subjects experiencing relevant adverse events (as per SIR Adverse Event Classification System) at 6 months post randomisation

    Time frame: 6 months follow-up

  2. Determine if improvement of knee osteoarthritis can be described by imaging analysis following GAE vs Sham

    Whole Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score (WORMS) for non-invasive assessment of synovial hypertrophy and neo-vascularization for osteoarthritis at 6 months post randomisation.

    Time frame: 6 months

  3. Quantification of a personalised psychometric pain profile to determine whether treatment response can be predicted using behavioural indicators of predisposition to central facilitation of pain

    Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) patient questionnaire: Score reflects on painful experiences of the patient. Score from 0 (minimum) to 52 (maximum). A higher score means worse outcome

    Time frame: 6 months

  4. Determine quality of life changes

    Changes in quality of life measured by Euro-Quality of Life-5D-3L (EQ-5D-3L) assessing five dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression), each having three levels (3L): no problems, some problems, extreme problems (labelled 1-3) in a descriptive fashion.

    Time frame: 6 months

  5. Assess patient reported acceptability of study treatment

    The PROM questionnaire (Patient reported outcome measures) (10 question patient questionnaire) reports scores between 9 (minimum) to 90 (maximum) where a high score is considered worse acceptance (worse outcome)

    Time frame: 1 week after treatment

  6. Determine if patient's need for analgesia will be reduced

    Change of analgesia intake at 6 months post randomisation.

    Time frame: 6 months

  7. Assess durability of GAE

    Time to failure, i.e., time to next invasive intervention for those receiving GAE treatment following (a) randomisation, or (b) crossing over to GAE from Sham arm.

    Time frame: 24 months

  8. Perform a health economic cost effectiveness analysis of GAE versus other treatment modalities in the moderate knee OA space

    Changes in quality of life measured by EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D-3L) combined with the time assessment to failure (durability of GAE), i.e., time to next invasive intervention for those receiving GAE treatment following (a) randomization, or (b) crossing over to GAE from Sham arm will be assessed together to describe the cost effectiveness.

    Time frame: 6 months

  9. Determine if embolisation improves pain, function, and quality of life in patients with knee OA in the treatment group

    All 5 subscales of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaire will be analysed at 12 and 24 months post randomisation. Scores range from 0 (minimum, worst) to 100 (maximum, best).

    Time frame: 24 months follow-up

  10. Determine quality of life changes in the GAE group at 12 and 24 months

    Changes in quality of life measured by Euro-Quality of Life-5D-3L (EQ-5D-3L) assessing five dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, each having three levels (3L): no problems, some problems, extreme problems (labelled 1-3) at 12 and 24 months post randomisation in a descriptive fashion.

    Time frame: 24 months follow-up

  11. Describe imaging outcomes of knee at 12 months in GAE

    Whole Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score (WORMS) for non-invasive assessment of synovial hypertrophy and neo-vascularization for osteoarthritis will be evaluated in the GAE group at 12 months post randomisation.

    Time frame: 12 months

  12. Determine if patient's need for analgesia will be reduced in the GAE group

    Change of analgesia intake at 12 and 24 months post randomisation.

    Time frame: 24 months

  13. Assessment of pain relief in the GAE group

    Pain relief at 12 and 24 months post randomisation, using the patient-reported 0 - 100 visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score

    Time frame: 24 months

  14. Determine if embolisation improves pain, function, and quality of life in patients with knee OA in the treatment group and compare with the Sham group in subjects who do not cross over at 12 and 24 months

    All 5 subscales of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) will be analysed at 12 and 24 months post randomisation in the GAE and Sham group. Scores range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

    Time frame: 24 Months

  15. Determine quality of life changes in the GAE and sham group

    The second part of the Euro-Quality of Life-5D-3L questionnaire consists of a visual analytic scale (VAS) on which the patient rates his / her perceived health from 0 (the worst imaginable health) to 100 (the best imaginable health) at 12 and 24 months post randomisation in the GAE group and compare with the Sham group in subjects who do not cross over.

    Time frame: 24 months

  16. Determine if patient's need for analgesia will be reduced

    Compare changes of analgesia intake at 12 and 24 months post randomisation in the GAE group with the Sham group in subjects who do not cross over.

    Time frame: 24 months

  17. Assessment of pain relief

    Compare pain relief in the GAE group at 12 and 24 months post randomisation, using the patient-reported 0 - 100 visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, and compare to the Sham group in subjects who do not cross over.

    Time frame: 24 months

  18. Determine if embolisation improves pain, function, and quality of life in patients with knee OA in the Sham crossover group at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months

    All 5 subscales of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) will be analysed at 1,3,6, 12 and 18 months post treatment in the Sham crossover group. Scores range from 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

    Time frame: 18 months

  19. Assessment of pain relief in the Sham crossover group

    Pain relief at 1,3,6,12 and 18 months post treatment in the Sham crossover group, using the patient-reported 0 - 100 visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score

    Time frame: 18 months

  20. Determine if patient's need for analgesia will be reduced in the Sham crossover group

    Change of analgesia intake at 1,3,6,12 and 18 months post treatment in the Sham crossover group.

    Time frame: 18 months

  21. Determine quality of life changes in the Sham crossover group

    Changes in quality of life measured by Euro-Quality of Life-5D-3L (EQ-5D-3L) assessing five dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, each having three levels (3L): no problems, some problems, extreme problems (labelled 1-3) at 6, 12 and 18 months post treatment in a descriptive fashion.

    Time frame: 18 months

  22. Determine if improvement of knee osteoarthritis can be described by imaging analysis in the Sham crossover group following GAE

    Whole Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score (WORMS) for non-invasive assessment of synovial hypertrophy and neo-vascularization for osteoarthritis at 6 and 12 months post treatment in the Sham crossover group

    Time frame: 12 months

  23. Quantification of mindfulness as part of a personalised psychometric pain profile to determine whether treatment response can be predicted using behavioural indicators of predisposition to central facilitation of pain

    Five-Facet Mindfulness Patient Questionnaire (FFMQ): Reporting a score between 15 (minimum) and 75 (maximum). Higher scores are better and indicative of high trait mindfulness.

    Time frame: 6 months

  24. Assessment of depressive symptoms as part of a personalised psychometric profile

    Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9): Reports a score between 0 (minimum) and 27 (maximum) with higher scores being worse representing high depressive symptoms

    Time frame: 6 months

  25. Assessment of patient's psychological flexibility as part of personalised psychometric profile

    Pain Interference - Short Form 6b (PROMIS) patient questionnaire: Reports a score between 6 (minimum) and 30 (maximum), with higher scores being worse representing high pain interference

    Time frame: 6 months

  26. Assessment of a patient's anxiety as part of a personalised psychometric profile

    Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) patient questionnaire: reports a score between 0 (minimum) and 21 (maximum). Higher scores are worse representing more severe levels of anxiety.

    Time frame: 6 months

  27. Quantification of patient's psychological flexibility as part of a personalised psychometric profile

    Committed Action Questionnaire (CAQ-8): Reports a score between 0 (minimum) and 48 (maximum). Higher scores mean better outcome representing high commitment to goals.

    Time frame: 6 months

  28. Quantification of a patient's intolerance of uncertainty

    Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale - Short Form patient questionnaire: Reports a score between 0 (minimum) and 60 (maximum). Higher scores are worse representing high intolerance of uncertainty.

    Time frame: 6 months

  29. Quantification of a patient's sleep quality as part of personalised psychometric profile

    Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) patient questionnaire: Reports a score between 0 (minimum) to 21 (maximum). Higher scores are worse indicating worse sleep quality.

    Time frame: 6 months

  30. Assessment of psychological inflexibility in pain as part of a personalised psychometric pain profile to determine whether treatment response can be predicted using behavioural indicators of predisposition to central facilitation of pain

    Psychological Inflexibility in Pain Scale (PIPS) patient questionnaire: reports scores between 16 (minimum) to 112 (maximum). Higher scores (worse results) indicate low flexibility in regard to dealing with pain.

    Time frame: 6 months

  31. Quantification of the perspective of a participant's viewpoint on pain as part of a personalised psychometric pain profile

    Pain Priors Questionnaire

    Time frame: 6 months

  32. Behavioural quantification of psychological flexibility to stratify patients who achieve optimal clinical outcomes from the treatment procedure.

    Wisconsin Card Sorting Task: reports reaction time measured in milliseconds (lower value is better outcome as better cognitive function)

    Time frame: 6 months

  33. Assess functional connectivity between brain regions and investigate the influence of metabolite levels within pain modulatory regions as a neurochemical marker for vulnerability to further chronic pain states.

    Functional head MRI

    Time frame: 6 months

  34. Assess patient's capacity of central pain modulation

    Quantitative sensory testing: Central pain modulation (CPM) measures the degree to which pain at one site inhibits pain at a distal site. The difference between the initial and final rating is taken as a score of the participant's CPM capacity with a range of -10 to 10 with -10 representing a better result with high pain inhibition/modulation.

    Time frame: 6 months

  35. Assess patient's intrinsic attention to pain

    Intrinsic Attention to Pain (IAP) test measures whether a participant's attention is intrinsically gravitated towards, or away from pain during thermal stimulation with a score range of +2 to -2, with + 2 representing worse results indicating an inability to attentionally disengage from pain.

    Time frame: 6 months

  36. Assess patient's capacity of central facilitation of pain

    Temporal Summation (TS) test: describes the degree to which pain responses are centrally enhanced by rapid repeated presentation. A score between -10 to 10 is reported with 10 representing high pain summation as a worse result and -10 no pain summation.

    Time frame: 6 months

  37. Perception of health by patient in the GAE and sham group

    The second part of the Euro-Quality of Life-5D-3L questionnaire consists of a visual analytic scale (VAS) on which the patient rates his / her perceived health from 0 (the worst imaginable health) to 100 (the best imaginable health).

    Time frame: 6 months

  38. Perception of health by patient in the GAE group

    The second part of the Euro-Quality of Life-5D-3L questionnaire consists of a visual analytic scale (VAS) on which the patient rates his / her perceived health from 0 (the worst imaginable health) to 100 (the best imaginable health).

    Time frame: 24 months follow-up

  39. Perception of health by patient in GAE and sham group at 12 and 24 months

    The second part of the Euro-Quality of Life-5D-3L questionnaire consists of a visual analytic scale (VAS) on which the patient rates his / her perceived health from 0 (the worst imaginable health) to 100 (the best imaginable health) at 12 and 24 months post randomisation in the GAE group and compare with the Sham group in subjects who do not cross over.

    Time frame: 24 months

  40. Perception of health by patient in sham crossover group at 6, 12 and 18 months

    The second part of the Euro-Quality of Life-5D-3L questionnaire consists of a visual analytic scale (VAS) on which the patient rates his / her perceived health from 0 (the worst imaginable health) to 100 (the best imaginable health) at 6, 12 and 18 months post treatment.

    Time frame: 18 months

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Little MW, Harrison R, MacGill S, Speirs A, Briggs JH, Tayton E, Davies NLC, Hausen HS, McCann C, Levine LL, Sharma RA, Gibson M. Genicular Artery Embolisation in Patients with Osteoarthritis of the Knee (GENESIS 2): Protocol for a Double-Blind Randomised Sham-Controlled Trial. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2023 Sep;46(9):1276-1282. doi: 10.1007/s00270-023-03477-z. Epub 2023 Jun 19. PubMed 37337060 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Oct 2022 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2027, 62 months after the start.

Of 142 industry-sponsored interventional studies with no phase under Osteoarthritis, Knee, half reached primary completion within 19 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 33. This study's planned 62 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 1,285 studies reached it within 18 months; a quarter within 8 and three quarters within 36.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Apr 11, 2022
First posted
Jun 21, 2022
StartActual
Oct 30, 2022
Primary completionEst.
Dec 31, 2027
CompletionEst.
Jun 30, 2028
Last update
Dec 3, 2024
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 3, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05423587
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 21, 2022
Start date
Oct 30, 2022
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 30, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Dec 3, 2024

Study contacts

Heike S Hausen, MD
Contact
Heike.Hausen@varian.com
2068903102
Kate Pietrovito
Contact
Kathleen.Pietrovito@varian.com
+19782908408
Mark W Little, MD
principal investigator · Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Reading, UK

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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