Particularly painful and impotent, "frozen shoulder" has just been the subject of a new therapeutic approach. Indeed, American doctors propose to solve this problem of frozen shoulder by performing arterial embolization.
The frozen shoulder phenomenon is related to a more or less progressive blockage of the joint. Complex, the shoulder has seven muscles and just as many tendons allowing joint mobility in several directions. The fact is that around the joint is the capsule, a fibrous membrane. However, frozen shoulder occurs when the capsule loses its elasticity.
On the other hand, while trauma may be the cause of the problem, the phenomenon most often occurs without apparent cause. Thus, it is a mystery that is around 150 years old, since the identification of the frozen shoulder! This evil is treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and, sometimes, intra-articular infiltration. However, these treatments are rather long and not very effective. Generally, recovery from frozen shoulder takes between 6 and 24 months!
Organized by Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) at In mid June 2020, the SIR 2020 Virtual hosted a conference showcasing an innovation in the treatment of frozen shoulder. This is a new therapeutic approach developed by a team led by Sandeep Bagla of the Vascular Institute of Virginia (United States). The researchers conducted a trial that received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The trial included a dozen volunteer patients to test arterial embolization after one month of conventional treatment. Each patient was fitted with a catheter , either at the level of the radial artery (bend of the elbow) or via the femoral artery (groin). The goal? Reach other arteries to block them by injecting microbeads. Thus, the structure vascularized by these arteries can be destroyed.
For frozen shoulder, the goal is to reduce the blood supply causing the inflammation . First, the practitioner makes a pin-sized micro incision in the wrist. Then, the latter goes up from the radial artery to the arteries of the shoulder before ejecting the balls there.
For researchers, arterial embolization performed on an outpatient basis only lasts an hour. And the effects are positive since there is a significant improvement in pain as well as difficulty in moving the arm. Finally, you should know that this test, although validated by the FDA, will have to be confirmed by other professionals.
