Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose:: To evaluate the modification of different ROP stages prevalence over 3 years in a high-income country. Methods:from Jan «98 to Dec ’00 235 children were screened for ROP in the neonatal intensive care unit at the Catholic University Hospital in Rome. According to the CryoROP Study, inclusion criteria were: gestational age (GA) ≤32 weeks and/or a birth weight (BW) of ≤1500grams, plus all preterm judged at risk; all babies were inborn. The mean BW was 1291.41grams (range 415-2620gr) and the mean GA was 29.86 weeks (range 24-35w). Results: ROP was diagnosed in 67 preterms infants (134 eyes) (mean BW 942.70±245.62 grams and mean GA 27.71±1.83weeks). 13.43% of ROP reached threshold (3.83% of all preterm infants) and underwent surgical procedure (cryo in 5 cases and laser in 4). Despite mean birth weight and gestational age were similar over the period studied, authors observed significant differences in the NICU population. A 35% increase of preterm screened for ROP was shown. No threshold ROP were observed in the last 15 months, while prevalence was stable in the previous years ( 22.73% of all ROP diagnosed in ’98 and 20% in ’99). The percentage of stage II and III ROP were unmodified over three years. Confrontation with Oct’94-Dec’97 ROP screening in the same NICU confirm these data. The authors examined neonatological and ophthlmological parameters that could possibly correlate with this important change of ROP epidemic. Conclusion:In the high-income countries the improving quality of the neonatal intensive care is deeply modifying the face of ROP. Threshold, with its surgical dilemma, is becoming more and more rare. On the contrary mild and moderate ROP will still represent a problem for the future of visual development of preterm infants.
Keywords: 572 retinopathy of prematurity • 354 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence