Ultra-low radiation dose protocol for CT-guided intrathecal nusinersen injections for patients with spinal muscular atrophy and severe scoliosis.

PURPOSE: Intrathecal injection of nusinersen is an approved treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). CT-guided injection is a method of nusinersen administration in patients with severe scoliosis, in whom standard lumbar puncture is not feasible. The injections are repeated every 4 months for life, and accumulated radiation doses absorbed by the patient can increase the risk of cancer. In this study, we present the results of CT-guided intrathecal nusinersen injections with an ultra-low radiation dose protocol. METHODS: Eighteen patients (15 adults and three children) in whom standard lumbar puncture was not feasible due to severe scoliosis or spinal stabilization were included in this retrospective study. The first 23 injections were performed with a standard radiation dose protocol and the next 42 injections with an ultra-low-dose protocol. The radiation doses, measured as total dose length product (DLP), were acquired and compared between the protocols. RESULTS: Injections were successful in 100% of patients with both ultra-low-dose and standard protocols. The radiation dose, measured as DLP, was 111.2-1100.7 (Me = 248.1) mGy*cm for the standard protocol. For the ultra-low-dose protocol, the dose range was 5.0-54.4 (Me = 26.7) mGy*cm, which was significantly lower than with the standard protocol (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.67). CONCLUSION: Radiation doses can be significantly decreased in the CT-guided injection of nusinersen. The proposed protocol allows for effective CT-guided intrathecal nusinersen administration in patients with SMA and severe scoliosis.

Long-term follow-up of patients with type 2 and non-ambulant type 3 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treated with olesoxime in the OLEOS trial.

In a previous Phase 2 study, olesoxime had a favorable safety profile. Although the primary endpoint was not met, analyses suggested that olesoxime might help in the maintenance of motor function in patients with Types 2/3 SMA. This open-label extension study (OLEOS) further characterizes the safety, tolerability and efficacy of olesoxime over longer therapy durations. In OLEOS, no new safety risks were identified. Compared to matched natural history data, patients treated with olesoxime demonstrated small, non-significant changes in motor function over 52 weeks. Motor function scores were stable for 52 weeks but declined over the remainder of the study. The greatest decline in motor function was seen in patients ≤15 years old, and those with Type 2 SMA had faster motor function decline versus those with Type 3 SMA. Previous treatment with olesoxime in the Phase 2 study was not protective of motor function in OLEOS. Respiratory outcomes were stable in patients with Type 3 SMA >15 years old but declined in patients with Type 2 SMA and in patients with Type 3 SMA ≤15 years old. Overall, with no stabilization of functional measures observed over 130 weeks, OLEOS did not support significant benefit of olesoxime in patients with SMA.

Evidence for a relatively high proportion of DM2 mutations in a large group of Polish patients.

INTRODUCTION: Myotonic dystrophies (DMs) type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) are autosomal dominant, multisystem disorders, considered the most common dystrophies in adults. DM1 and DM2 are caused by dynamic mutations in the DMPK and CNBP genes, respectively. METHODS: Molecular analyses were performed by PCR and the modified RP-PCR in patients, in their at-risk relatives and prenatal cases. RESULTS: The analysis of Polish controls revealed the range of 5-31 CTG repeats for DM1 and 110-228 bp alleles for DM2. Among 318 confirmed probands - 196 (62%) were DM1 and 122 (38%) - DM2. Within DM1families, 10 subjects carried a low expanded CTG tract (< 100 repeats), which resulted in a full mutation in subsequent generations. Two related individuals had unstable alleles-188 bp and 196 bp without common interruptions. CONCLUSION: The relative frequencies of DM1/DM2 among Polish patients were 68% and 32%, respectively, with a relatively high proportion of DM2 mutations (1.6:1).

Clinical Outcomes in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Study of 5345 Patients from the TREAT-NMD DMD Global Database.

BACKGROUND: Recent short-term clinical trials in patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) have indicated greater disease variability in terms of progression than expected. In addition, as average life-expectancy increases, reliable data is required on clinical progression in the older DMD population. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of corticosteroids on major clinical outcomes of DMD in a large multinational cohort of genetically confirmed DMD patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study we analysed clinical data from 5345 genetically confirmed DMD patients from 31 countries held within the TREAT-NMD global DMD database. For analysis patients were categorised by corticosteroid background and further stratified by age. RESULTS: Loss of ambulation in non-steroid treated patients was 10 years and in corticosteroid treated patients 13 years old (p = 0.0001). Corticosteroid treated patients were less likely to need scoliosis surgery (p < 0.001) or ventilatory support (p < 0.001) and there was a mild cardioprotective effect of corticosteroids in the patient population aged 20 years and older (p = 0.0035). Patients with a single deletion of exon 45 showed an increased survival in contrast to other single exon deletions. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides data on clinical outcomes of DMD across many healthcare settings and including a sizeable cohort of older patients. Our data confirm the benefits of corticosteroid treatment on ambulation, need for scoliosis surgery, ventilation and, to a lesser extent, cardiomyopathy. This study underlines the importance of data collection via patient registries and the critical role of multi-centre collaboration in the rare disease field.

Mapping the differences in care for 5,000 spinal muscular atrophy patients, a survey of 24 national registries in North America, Australasia and Europe.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterised by the degeneration of motor neurons and progressive muscle weakness. It is caused by homozygous deletions in the survival motor neuron gene on chromosome 5. SMA shows a wide range of clinical severity, with SMA type I patients often dying before 2 years of age, whereas type III patients experience less severe clinical manifestations and can have a normal life span. Here, we describe the design, setup and utilisation of the TREAT-NMD national SMA patient registries characterised by a small, but fully standardised set of registry items and by genetic confirmation in all patients. We analyse a selection of clinical items from the SMA registries in order to provide a snapshot of the clinical data stratified by SMA subtype, and compare these results with published recommendations on standards of care. Our study included 5,068 SMA patients in 25 countries. A total of 615 patients were ventilated, either invasively (178) or non-invasively (437), 439 received tube feeding and 455 had had scoliosis surgery. Some of these interventions were not available to patients in all countries, but differences were also noted among high-income countries with comparable wealth and health care systems. This study provides the basis for further research, such as quality of life in ventilated SMA patients, and will inform clinical trial planning.

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy: phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of 9 Polish patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is mostly an autosomal dominant myopathic disorder, characterized by progressive bilateral ptosis, dysphagia and proximal muscle weakness, appearing usually in the fifth to sixth decade of life. The underlying cause of OPMD is an expanded GCG repeat in the first exon of the gene encoding poly (A)-binding protein nuclear 1 (PABPN1) localized on chromosome 14.q11.2-q13. The number of GCG expansion ranges from 8 to 13 repeats. PABPN1 is a nuclear multifunctional protein which is involved in transcription regulation and post-transcriptional processes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We report on clinical characteristics in 9 Polish patients with genetically confirmed OPMD. RESULTS: The expanded repeat ranged from (GCG)8 to (GCG)11. Ptosis and dysphagia were present in all examined cases. In 4 patients weakness of extraocular muscle was found and two of them experienced transient diplopia. Mild limb-girdle weakness was observed in 6 patients. Muscle biopsy performed in all cases showed myopathic changes with rare rimmed vacuoles. Strikingly, despite thorough examination on electron microscopy, intranuclear inclusions typical for OPMD were found only in one patient. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic testing is necessary to confirm the diagnosis of OPMD, especially in cases with ptosis and external ophthalmoparesis, which may be initially diagnosed as mitochondrial myopathy.