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Plus Disease: Why is it Important in Retinopathy of Prematurity?
Carlos E Solarte1, Abdulaziz H Awad, Clare M Wilson
1Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) causes preventable childhood blindness. Understanding ROP
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of preventable childhood blindness.
- Early vascular changes in the posterior pole are critical indicators of severe ROP.
- Plus disease, characterized by abnormal dilation and tortuosity of retinal blood vessels, is a key sign in active ROP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To deepen the understanding of the pathology and vascular events in the posterior pole of eyes with active ROP.
- To address challenges in defining the severity and quantifying vascular changes in ROP.
- To explore how understanding vascular phenomena in ROP can inform new treatment strategies.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing scientific literature on ROP and plus disease.
- Analysis of pathological and clinical observations of posterior pole vascular changes.
- Exploration of current understanding of ROP's vascular cascade.
Main Results:
- ROP progresses with predictable vascular changes in premature infants.
- Plus disease signifies abnormal vascular changes that can lead to retinal detachment.
- Despite progress, quantifying ROP's vascular severity remains challenging.
Conclusions:
- Enhanced understanding of ROP vascular pathology is crucial.
- Accurate quantification of vascular changes is needed for effective ROP management.
- Further research into ROP vascular phenomena may lead to improved treatments and vision preservation.
Abstract:
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in childhood. Early posterior pole vascular signs of severe ROP have been studied since the first description of the disease. The progressive changes that take place in the posterior pole vessels of an extremely premature baby occur in a predictable fashion soon after birth. These vascular changes are described as plus disease and are defined as abnormal dilation and tortousity of the blood vessels during ROP that may go on to total retinal detachment. The ophthalmological community now has a better understanding of the pathology and cascade of events taking place in the posterior pole of an eye with active ROP. Despite many years of scientific work on plus disease, there continue to be many challenges in defining the severity and quantification of the vascular changes. It is believed that understanding of the vascular phenomenons in patients with ROP will help in designing new treatment strategies that will help in salvaging many of the eyes with severe ROP.
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