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Electrophysiological changes in 12-year-old children born MLP: reduced VEP amplitude in MLP children
Lina H Raffa1,2, Josefin Nilsson3, Jovanna Dahlgren4
1Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Insights
Moderate premature birth can impact visual evoked potential amplitudes in children by age 12, even without evident retinal structural changes. This study explored electrophysiological and fundus findings in these children.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Moderate-to-late preterm (MLP) birth is associated with potential long-term visual and neurological sequelae.
- Understanding electrophysiological changes and fundus morphology in MLP children without retinopathy of prematurity is crucial for early detection and intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate electrophysiological alterations and their correlation with fundus morphology in 12-year-old children born moderately to late preterm.
- To compare visual function and retinal structure between MLP children and full-term controls, specifically excluding those with a history of retinopathy of prematurity.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 22 twelve-year-old MLP children and 21 full-term controls underwent comprehensive eye examinations.
- Evaluations included visual acuity, refraction, optical coherence tomography (OCT) for fundus morphology, pattern reversal visual evoked potentials (VEPs), and full-field electroretinography (ff-ERG).
Main Results:
- No significant differences were observed in visual acuity, refraction, or optic disc parameters between the MLP and control groups.
- MLP children showed significantly lower visual evoked potential (VEP) P100 amplitudes compared to controls (p<0.004 for both eyes).
- A trend towards a thinner papillary retinal nerve fiber layer was noted in the MLP group, and lower gestational age correlated with reduced ff-ERG b-wave amplitudes.
Conclusions:
- Moderate preterm birth may lead to subclinical electrophysiological deficits, specifically affecting VEP amplitudes, in children by age 12.
- These functional changes can occur independently of significant structural retinal abnormalities detectable by OCT.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the long-term visual and neurological implications of these findings in preterm populations.
Aim:
To study the electrophysiological changes in relation to fundus morphology in moderate-to-late preterm (MLP) children with no previous history of retinopathy of prematurity.
Methods:
Visual acuity (VA), refraction and fundus variables measured by optical coherence tomography, pattern reversal visual evoked potentials and full-field electroretinography (ff-ERG) were obtained from 22 twelve-year-old MLP children (11 male, 11 female) and 21 full-term controls.
Results:
There were no significant differences between the MLP and control groups in VA, refraction or optic disc parameters. There was a trend for thinner papillary retinal nerve fibre layer in the MLP group. Visual evoked potential amplitudes (P100) were lower in the MLP group than in controls, that is, right eye p=0.0027, left eye p=0.0037. No differences in latencies were found. After Bonferroni adjustment for multiple testing, no ff-ERG differences were noted between MLP and controls. Lower gestational age was correlated with smaller light-adapted 3.0 b-wave amplitudes (p=0.0076, r=0.565).
Conclusions:
Our results indicate that moderate premature birth may affect visual evoked potential amplitudes without clear retinal structural changes in MLP children at 12 years of age.
