Transarterial microembolization with imipenem/cilastatin shows early pain relief for refractory hip, knee, and shoulder pain in single-centre study

Transarterial microembolization (TAME) with imipenem/cilastatin cut median pain score from 9.0 to 6.0 at 6 months in 42 patients with refractory hip, knee, or shoulder pain; 71.4% achieved a clinically important pain reduction, with only minor complications.

• Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 42 patients undergoing 50 TAME procedures for hip (24), knee (15), and shoulder (11) pain; technical success was 100%.
• Median pain score fell from 9.0 at baseline to 6.0 at 6 months (p<0.0001); MCID for pain was 71.4% at 6 months, functional MCID 85.7%, and substantial clinical benefit 77.1%.
• Only three minor CIRSE grade 1–2 access-site complications occurred; no skin ischaemia, nerve injury, or osteonecrosis. Pain reduction did not differ significantly across joints (p=0.118), but subgroup sizes were too small to establish equivalence.

Evidence grade: Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Level 4

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