Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the degree of retinal development in preterm neonates through comparison of standard full-field electroretinograms between preterm and full-term healthy neonates.
Methods: :
20 full-term neonates and 20 preterm neonates with no sign of ROP and comparative normal birth weight were recruited and divided in to three groups: full-term 40-week group, 20 neonates with age at test<1 week; preterm 35-week group, ten neonates with mean gestational age = 35.57±0.50w and mean age at test=5.20±1.14d; preterm 40-week group, ten neonates with mean gestational age = 35.83±0.76w and mean age at test=32.67±4.27d. Standard full-field flash electroretinography was preformed and the following responses were recorded: rod, maximal, oscillatory potentials, cone ,and 30Hz flicker.
Results: :
Compared with full-term 40-week group, we find statistically smaller amplitudes in preterm 35w group for rod, maximal, cone, and 30Hz flicker and no statistical differences in implicit time between the two groups except the b wave in rod responses; Compared with full-term 40-week group, there was smaller implict time in preterm 40w group for the a wave in maximal response and the a wave and b wave in cone responses and no statistical differences in amplitudes between the two groups.
Conclusions: :
The retinal development of preterm neonates with comparatively normal birth weight is slower than that in full-term neonates. However , preterm neonate retinal development reaches that of term neonates when their postmenstrual age equals their predicted due date.
Keywords: electrophysiology: clinical • retinopathy of prematurity