Emerging Patterns of Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity

Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose: ROP is a vasoproliferative disorder that can result in significant visual morbidity and blindness. With greater advances in neonatal technology, smaller and younger premature infants are surviving to develop severe retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). This report highlights characteristics of severe ROP treated in the last 5 years (2000–2004) in a level III neonatal intensive care unit. This is compared to ROP data from the same NICU from 1995–1999. Methods: This is a retrospective data evaluation of inborn infants that were born prematurely from 1990 to 2004 in our tertiary center. All infants in the study were treated with diode laser photocoagulation for severe ROP (Type I and Type II ET–ROP criteria) Two groups of 5 year ROP data will be presented; Group 1 (1995–1999) and Group 2 (2000–2004). Results: Group 1 had 22 premature infants with severe ROP requiring diode laser photocoagulation. Group 2 had 55 infants requiring treatment over a 5 year period. Group 1 patient demographics included mean birth weight of 759.1 g (range 470 to 1240), mean gestational age of 25.5 weeks (range 24 to 29). Group 2 had a mean BW of 760.7g and a mean GA of 25.6wks. Zone I disease was present in 5% of Group 1 and 33% of Group 2. Changes in neonatal practice patterns in the last decade will also be presented. Conclusions: Our institution has seen an emergence of more severe ROP and a greater amount of premature infants requiring treatment in the last 5 years. Infant demographics and neonatal practice patterns may account for this observed increase in severe ROP.

Keywords: retinopathy of prematurity