Ziv J. Haskal, MD
The University of Virginia’s Ziv J. Haskal, MD, professor of radiology and medical imaging, has been announced as the national principal investigator leading the multicenter U.S. trial to evaluate genicular artery embolization (GAE), a promising interventional radiologic treatment to treat painful knee osteoarthritis.
The randomized trial, which includes 10 centers under the auspices of the FDA, is named ‘RESORB.’ It is the first U.S. trial to assess the Nexsphere-F microsphere, a rapidly resorbable calibrated embolic agent designed specifically for GAE, comparing it with steroid joint injections.
RESORB will test the device’s effect on knee osteoarthritis – a painful degenerative joint disease affecting over 20 million Americans. The trial is focused upon patients suffering from disabling pain that is unresponsive to pain medications, but which does not yet warrant joint replacement surgery.
“GAE — as well as musculoskeletal embolization for adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), tennis elbow (epicondylitis), and others — is among the most exciting advances in IR, offering potential reduction or freedom of medically unresponsive pain for 6 to 12 months,” said Dr. Haskal.
“The Nexsphere-F microsphere was created specifically for this application and has shown promising efficacy and the highest safety profile in over a thousand patients worldwide. We’re very excited that this landmark national trial will be led out of the University of Virginia’s Interventional Radiology Division in collaboration with the UVA Department of Orthopedics.“
Filed Under: Research