Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the second most common neuromuscular disorder in children. There are 3 types (from I to III) depending on the age of onset of symptoms and the maximum functional abilities reached. Especially in types I and II, SMA is the cause of paralysis, often progressing to respiratory failure and severe orthopedic deformities, particularly in the spine. Spinal arthrodesis is very often necessary to limit these spinal deformities for which orthopedic management alone (using corrective corsets and physiotherapy) has limits.
In an article published in April 2020, New York orthopedic surgeons take stock of a new surgical technique preserving, during arthrodesis, an access route for the future intrathecal injection of nusinersen, an innovative therapy now available in the SMA. Their experience on eight young patients operated on in this way was conclusive. Only one of them had to be reoperated three and a half years later.
