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Case Reports
. 2002 Oct;86(10):1127-30.
doi: 10.1136/bjo.86.10.1127.

Screening for retinopathy of prematurity

L Andruscavage  1 , D J Weissgold
Affiliations
Case Reports

Screening for retinopathy of prematurity

L Andruscavage et al. Br J Ophthalmol. 2002 Oct.

Abstract

Aim: A cross sectional (prevalence) study was performed to assess the usefulness and sensitivity of commonly employed criteria to identify infants for routine ophthalmoscopic screening for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Methods: At a tertiary care centre between 1 January 1992 and 30 June 1998, experienced vitreoretinal specialists screened 438 premature infants for ROP. Retinal maturity and the presence of ROP were determined by indirect ophthalmoscopic examinations.

Results: Of the eligible infants surviving 28 days, 276 (91.7%) of 301 infants with birth weights </=1500 g and 162 (52.3%) of 310 infants with birth weights between 1501 and 2500 g were screened for ROP. 10 (3.9%) of the 310 infants with larger birth weights developed stage 1 or 2 ROP. Two (0.6%) of the 310 infants with larger birth weights developed stage 3 ROP. These two infants progressed to threshold ROP and required treatment.

Conclusions: Relatively restrictive criteria to identify premature infants eligible for routine ophthalmoscopic screening for ROP may be the cause for some infants going unexamined and their ROP undetected.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Infant screening eligibility.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of infants screened and stages of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in infants with birth weights ≤1500 g.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Number of infants screened and stages of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in infants with birth weights 1500–2499 g.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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