An interventional study of Unipolar radiofrequency ablation and Bipolar radiofrequency ablation in Bipolar Radiofrequency Ablation, Unipolar Radiofrequency Ablation and Knee Osteoarthritis, sponsored by Tanta University. Recruiting at 1 site in Egypt. Open to participants aged 50 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-04.
Sponsored by Tanta University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study aims to compare the efficacy of unipolar versus bipolar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in knee osteoarthritis pain.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common underlying causes of chronic knee pain resulting in loss of ability. Chronic knee pain due to OA is a debilitating disease. Many therapeutic options have been used to manage this pain such as physical therapy, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), tramadol, opioids, intraarticular hyaluronic acid, and steroids.
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) appears to be effective for treatment of knee pain. It acts by interrupting the pain conduction through production of a thermal lesion to interrupt nociceptive signals.
A diagnostic genicular nerve block with local anesthetic is performed before genicular nerve RFA, and a positive result indicates the need for genicular RFA In conventional monopolar RFA (MRFA) technique, the localization of genicular nerves is one through sensory stimulation at the junction of epicondyle with the shaft of femur bone (near periosteum).
3,292 studies on the registry are indexed under Osteoarthritis, Knee; 623 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 64 is close to the median of 68 across 2,714 interventional studies indexed under Osteoarthritis, Knee.
Browse Osteoarthritis, Knee studies →Tanta University is the lead sponsor of 1,010 studies on the registry; 321 are open to participants now.
Of its 15 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients will undergo radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of three genicular nerves (superior medial, superior lateral and inferior medial) with one cannula.
Procedure: Unipolar radiofrequency ablation
Patients will undergo radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as unipolar RFA but with two cannulas.
Procedure: Bipolar radiofrequency ablation
Patients will undergo radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of three genicular nerves (superior medial, superior lateral and inferior medial) with one cannula.
Patients will undergo radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as unipolar RFA but with two cannulas.
Proportion of successful responders with a reduction 50% of pain
The proportion of successful responders with a reduction 50% of Visual Analog Scale (VAS) will be recorded.
Time frame: 24 weeks after the procedure
Degree of pain
Knee pain will be measured by visual Analog Scale (VAS) (0 - no pain to 10-worst imaginable pain) at baseline, 1, 4, 12 and 24 weeks after the procedure during movement.
Time frame: 24 weeks after the procedure
Oxford Knee Score (OKS)
The functional changes in the knee will be assessed by Oxford Knee Score (OKS). It is simple, valid, self-administered, joint-specific 12-item questionnaires ranging from 12 to 60, with 12 referred to the best result.
Time frame: 24 weeks after the procedure
Plan to share: Yes — The data will be available upon a reasonable request from the corresponding author after the end of study for one year.
Supporting information: Study protocol
Time frame: After the end of study for one year.
Access criteria: The data will be available upon a reasonable request from the corresponding author.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Aug 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jun 2027, 9 months after the start.
Of 1,111 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Osteoarthritis, Knee, half reached primary completion within 18 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 8 and three quarters within 36. This study's planned 9 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,251 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.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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