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[Assessment of retinopathy of prematurity]
Gabriela Zaharie1, Simona Tălu, Claudia Stefănut
1Catedra de Neonatologie, UMF Iuliu Haţieganu Cluj-Napoca.
Insights
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) affects 39.02% of very low birth weight infants. Key influencing factors include gestational age, birth weight, oxygen therapy duration, and FiO2 levels.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Ophthalmology
- Perinatal medicine
Context:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a significant cause of visual impairment in premature infants.
- Very low birth weight (VLBW) newborns are particularly vulnerable to ROP.
- Neonatal screening programs are crucial for early detection and management of ROP.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the incidence of ROP in VLBW newborns.
- To identify factors influencing ROP development and the need for laser therapy.
- To assess the role of prenatal and perinatal factors in ROP.
Summary:
- This retrospective study analyzed 82 VLBW newborns, finding an ROP incidence of 39.02%.
- ROP diagnosis strongly correlated with gestational age (p=0.000019) and birth weight (p=0.00627).
- Significant correlations were observed with oxygen therapy duration (p=0.005) and FiO2 (p=0.005), but not mechanical ventilation duration. Prenatal factors, specifically non-followed pregnancies (29.5%), were also associated with ROP.
Impact:
- Identifies critical risk factors for ROP in VLBW infants, informing targeted screening and intervention strategies.
- Highlights the importance of optimizing oxygen therapy and FiO2 levels in neonatal intensive care.
- Emphasizes the need for improved prenatal care and follow-up to reduce ROP incidence.
Purpose:
The study aims to evaluate the ROP, the factors that influence this disease in very low birth weight newborns that are included in the neonatal screening program.
Material And Method:
It is a retrospective study performed on 82 preterm newborns managed by The Neonatology Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic I from Cluj over a period of 15 months. There were assessed: prenatal factors, birth, perinatal pathology, therapy received, incidence of ROP and the necessity for laser therapy The statistical analysis has been performed in Epi 6.
Results:
The group is composed of 82 newborns with gestational age of 30.01+/-2.18 weeks and birth weight of 1240.19 +/- 347.41 g. The diagnosis of ROP is highly correlated with the gestational age (p = 0.000019) and with the birth weight (p=0.00627). We did not find a significant correlation between the duration of the mechanical ventilation and ROP, but the correlation is obvious with the duration of oxygen-therapy (p=0.005) and FiO2 (p=0.005). From the prenatal factors, we distinguished a high percentage (29.5%) of non followed pregnancies in newborns that developed ROP. The incidence of retinopathy was 39.02% and the laser therapy has been necessary in 14.8% of all cases.
Conclusions:
The incidence of ROP has been 39.02%. The factors that influenced the ROP incidence were: non followed pregnancies, duration of oxygen-therapy, FiO2 applied, pCO2.
