Abstract
Purpose :
Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) screening is becoming an increasing challenge due to a paucity of resources and a rise in premature births. This study aims to assess the rates of ROP and treatment-warranted ROP in a modern set of patients meeting zero or one of the current ROP screening criteria.
Methods :
Single-center retrospective cohort study of 9,350 infants screened for ROP from 2009-2020. Rates of ROP and treatment-warranted ROP were evaluated in group 1 (BW < 1500g and GA ≥ 30weeks), group 2 (BW ≥ 1500g and GA < 30 weeks), and group 3 (BW ≥ 1500g and GA ≥ 30weeks).
Results :
Out of 7,520 patients with reported BW and GA, 1,612 (21.4%) patients met the inclusion criteria. The number of patients in group 1, 2, and 3 was 466 (6.19%), 23 (0.31%), and 1123 (14.93%) respectively. The number of patients diagnosed with ROP was 20 (4.29%) in group 1, 1 (4.35%) in group 2, and 12 (1.07%) in group 3, P < .001. Mean interval between birth and ROP diagnosis was 36.25 days (range 12 – 75) in group 1, 47 days in group 2 and 23.33 days (range 10 - 39) in group 3 (P = .05). No cases of stage 3, zone 1 or plus disease were recorded. No patient met the treatment criteria.
Conclusions :
Patients meeting one screening criterion had a low rate of ROP (<5%), with no stage 3, zone 1, or plus disease. No patients required treatment. We propose a possible algorithm (TWO-ROP) in appropriate NICUs, with an amendment in screening protocol for this low-risk population to include only an outpatient screening exam within 1 week of discharge, or at 40 weeks if inpatient, to decrease the inpatient ROP screening burden while maintaining safety. Further external validation of this protocol would be required.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.