Citizens' Campus: TAPE – Joint embolization: Relief for chronic joint pain

Joint embolization, also known as transarterial periarticular embolizationembolization (TAPE), is a minimally invasive procedure that is used to treat chronic pain in the joints, for example in osteoarthritis. TAPE is a form of therapy for patients who continue to experience pain in their joints despite conservative therapies or surgical measures.

There are many different causes of joint pain. Current research assumes, among other things, that chronic incorrect loading and inflammatory stimuli lead to pathological vascularization (vascular sprouting) in the synovial membrane. As a side effect, small nerve tracts and pain receptors multiply around the joint. Those affected perceive pain. Painkillers are only partially effective or not effective at all against the symptoms.

This is where embolization comes in, by cutting off the blood supply in certain areas of the joint and closing off the affected vessels. Embolization restores calm to the joint, as there is no longer any inflammatory flow.

In a lecture, Ilhami Benli, Head Physician of the Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at the Ilm-Kreis-Kliniken Arnstadt-Ilmenau gGmbH, will report on his own forms of treatment and experiences with TAPE therapy.

Admission: 5 Euro