Genicular artery embolization (GAE) — can it replace a knee replacement? When the Society of Interventional Radiology endorsed GAE as part of standard care for knee osteoarthritis, Dr. Schultz wanted to understand it for himself. He’s an orthopedic surgeon who replaces knees — and a knee replacement patient — so he brought in interventional radiologist Dr. Connie Hsu, a Fellow of the American College of Radiology who performed the first GAE in the Austin area, to break it all down. GAE targets the abnormal new blood vessels that drive inflammation and pain in an arthritic knee — “pruning” them with tiny particles while leaving the knee’s main blood supply intact. They cover who’s a candidate and what the evidence shows.