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Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus
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Published on: March 6, 2019

Abnormal oral mucosal light reflectance in bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Claudio De Felice1, Stefano Parrini, Alessandro Barducci

  • 1Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, Siena, Italy.

Early Human Development
|December 13, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Light reflectance on oral mucosa can detect bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Early detection using oral spectrophotometry offers a promising tool for identifying infants at risk of BPD.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatology
  • Medical Imaging
  • Biophotonics

Background:

  • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in preterm infants.
  • Disordered vascular development and reduced angiogenic factors are implicated in BPD.
  • Extracellular matrix alterations are known to influence angiogenesis and blood vessel geometry in BPD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the potential of oral mucosa light reflectance for detecting infants who will develop BPD.
  • To investigate early optical property changes in the oral mucosa of preterm infants at risk for BPD.

Main Methods:

  • 75 preterm newborns were studied, with 25 developing BPD.
  • High-resolution oral mucosa photographs were taken on postnatal days 1 and 28.
  • Imaging spectrophotometry (400-700 nm) assessed light reflectance; ROC analysis determined predictive accuracy.

Main Results:

  • BPD patients exhibited significantly lower red light reflectance (610-700 nm) and higher violet/blue-green reflectance on day 1.
  • Low reflectance in the 640-700 nm range identified BPD patients with 100% sensitivity and specificity.
  • Specific cut-off values for reflectance at 640-700 nm accurately predicted BPD development.

Conclusions:

  • Early, unrecognized abnormalities in oral mucosa optical properties are present in infants developing BPD.
  • Oral mucosal light reflectance shows potential as a non-invasive biomarker for early BPD detection.
  • This method may aid in timely intervention for preterm infants at risk of BPD.
Abstract

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