Spinal Muscular Atrophy Insights

In a study by Lee et al. (2025), researchers investigated the factors contributing to postprocedural pain in non-ambulatory patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) receiving nusinersen through repetitive intrathecal injections. The study, which was retrospective and conducted at a single center, involved 34 patients and a total of 290 procedures. It was found that nearly half of the procedures (49.3%) resulted in postprocedural pain.

Significant factors influencing this pain included the angle of the needle during the procedure, whether prophylactic pain control was used, and the number of CT scans performed. Specifically, the angle of the needle relative to vertical and horizontal lines was a key predictor of pain, with a beta coefficient indicating a clear statistical significance. These findings suggest that adjusting the needle angle and other procedural factors could reduce pain following nusinersen injections for SMA patients.