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Published on: August 14, 2013
Outcomes after laser therapy for threshold retinopathy of prematurity
R Foroozan1, B P Connolly, W S Tasman
1Retina Service, Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA.
Objective:
To determine the anatomic outcomes of eyes treated with laser photocoagulation for threshold retinopathy of prematurity and to identify potential risk factors for unfavorable outcomes after treatment.
Design:
Retrospective, noncomparative case series.
Intervention:
Photocoagulation of the peripheral avascular retina with an argon or diode laser indirect ophthalmoscope.
Participants:
One hundred twenty eyes of 81 infants with threshold retinopathy of prematurity treated with laser photocoagulation from 1989 through 1997 with at least 12 months of follow-up after treatment.
Main Outcome Measures:
The principal outcome was the presence of an unfavorable anatomic outcome defined as a retinal detachment, macular fold, or retrolental tissue.
Results:
One hundred nine of 120 eyes (91%) had favorable outcomes. Eleven eyes (9%) had retinal detachments, and 1 of the 11 also had retrolental tissue. Zone 1 eyes appeared to be 3.3 times more likely to have an unfavorable outcome compared with zone 2 eyes, but the 95% confidence interval (0.8-14.5) did not support this statistically. Twenty-four of 109 eyes (22%) experienced dragging of the temporal vessels. Those with zone 1 disease were 13.7 times more likely to experience temporal dragging compared with zone 2 eyes (95% confidence interval, 3.3-57.2).
Conclusions:
After laser photocoagulation for threshold retinopathy of prematurity, 91% of eyes had a favorable anatomic outcome. Compared with zone 2 eyes, zone 1 eyes may be more likely to have temporal dragging of the retinal vessels. Laser therapy is effective in the treatment of threshold retinopathy of prematurity.
