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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Transcutaneous Microcirculatory Imaging in Preterm Neonates
Published on: December 31, 2015
Telemedicine based screening of infants at risk for retinopathy of prematurity
1Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismology and Ophthalmogenetics, University of Regensburg, Germany. birgit.lorenz@klinik.uni-regensburg.de
Insights
Digital wide-field cameras aid in early Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) detection. This technology enables timely treatment, preventing blindness in premature infants and reducing unnecessary referrals.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) poses a significant risk of permanent vision loss in premature infants.
- Advanced ROP (stage 3+) carries a high risk of retinal detachment and blindness without timely intervention.
- Expert interpretation of retinal changes is crucial for effective ROP screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the potential of a new digital wide-field camera system (RetCam 120) for ROP screening.
- To assess the feasibility of telemedicine-based ROP screening.
- To explore the system's utility in other neuro-ophthalmological conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing the RetCam 120 for rapid, comprehensive retinal imaging in premature infants.
- Data collection by trained neonatal care unit staff.
- Electronic data transfer to a specialized central reading center for analysis.
Main Results:
- The RetCam 120 system demonstrated high sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values in recent evaluations.
- Telemedicine-based screening for ROP is being piloted in Eastern Bavaria.
- The system facilitates optimal treatment timing, potentially salvaging more infant vision.
Conclusions:
- Digital wide-field imaging offers a promising approach to improve ROP detection and management.
- Telemedicine integration can enhance accessibility and efficiency of ROP screening.
- This technology may also benefit the diagnosis and management of other neuro-ophthalmological diseases.
Abstract:
Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a major risk for permanent visual loss in extreme prematures. In stage 3+ (zone I and II), defined as threshold disease, the risk for retinal detachment with subsequent blindness is about 50% without treatment, compared to only a few percent with laser photoablation. Visualisation and interpretation of the critical retinal changes requires a high degree of expertise. Therefore, screening by general ophthalmologists will not identify all cases at threshold necessary to prevent blindness in as many infants as possible. The development of a new digital wide-field camera system (RetCam 120) allows documentation of nearly the entire retina within minutes. Recently, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power and negative predictive power have been evaluated to be high. Data collection is also possible by trained staff of the neonatal care units. Data can be transferred electronically, even though it could be transferred through physical transport. Analyzing the data in a central reading center specialized in the treatment of ROP will allow optimal timing of treatment and thus salvage vision in more infants. In addition, unnecessary referrals that are not only expensive but put also stress on the very vulnerable prematures can be avoided. At present, efforts are made to realize a pilot project in Eastern Bavaria that will test the potentials of telemedicine based screening for ROP. In addition, the potential of the system will be evaluated in other neuroophthalmological diseases.
