@article {Bertiarchdischild-2022-323899, author = {Beatrice Berti and Lavinia Fanelli and Giulia Stanca and Roberta Onesimo and Concetta Palermo and Daniela Leone and Roberto de Sanctis and Sara Carnicella and Giulia Norcia and Nicola Forcina and Giorgia Coratti and Maria Carmela Pera and Valentina Giorgio and Carolina Ausili Cefaro and Richard Finkel and Marika Pane and Eugenio Mercuri}, title = {Oral and Swallowing Abilities Tool (OrSAT) in nusinersen treated patients}, elocation-id = {archdischild-2022-323899}, year = {2022}, doi = {10.1136/archdischild-2022-323899}, publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group Ltd}, abstract = {Introduction The aim of the study was to longitudinally assess swallowing abilities in nusinersen-treated patients with type 1 spinal muscular atrophy.Methods Twenty infants with type 1 SMA (11 female and 9 male) treated with nusinersen between 3 weeks and 15 months of age, were assessed using the Oral and Swallowing Abilities Tool (OrSAT). The duration of the follow-up after treatment ranged between 12 months and 62 months.Results Twelve of the 20 infants had normal swallowing and there was no need for tube feeding at the time treatment started. Ten of the 12 had consistently normal swallowing with no need for tube feeding on follow-up. The other two required tube feeding but they regained the ability to eat some food by mouth.The remaining 8 infants already had tube feeding inserted at the time treatment started: 4 of them also had tracheostomy and they showed no changes on the OrSAT Scale. The other 4 who had tube feeding but no tracheostomy had partial functional improvement.Conclusion Our results suggest that the degree of functional impairment at the time treatment is started can help to predict the progression of swallowing abilities. The use of a structured assessment also helped to detect partial improvements.Data are available upon reasonable request.}, issn = {0003-9888}, URL = {https://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2022/05/15/archdischild-2022-323899}, eprint = {https://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2022/05/15/archdischild-2022-323899.full.pdf}, journal = {Archives of Disease in Childhood} }