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Updated: Aug 16, 2026
Assessment of Vascular Regeneration in the CNS Using the Mouse Retina
Published on: June 23, 2014
THE EVOLUTION OF ISOLATED NEOVASCULAR TUFTS ("POPCORN") IN RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY
Kang Xue1,2, Xin Huang1,2, Sisi Xu1,2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; and.
Purpose:
To explore the natural evolution of isolated neovascular tufts ("popcorn") in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and its significance in the progression of acute ROP.
Methods:
In this retrospective case series, 89 infants (89 eyes) in total having acute ROP were analyzed during serial retinal examinations with a RetCam III wide-angle fundus imaging system, among which 53 eyes were observed to have popcorn and 36 eyes did not. The clinical outcomes of the popcorn (+) group and the popcorn (-) group were compared.
Results:
Popcorn was located only in Zone II, Stage 2 ROP, primarily in the temporal field (65%). It appeared at a mean postmenstrual age of (37.6 ± 1.3) weeks, disappeared at (41.0 ± 2.2) weeks, and lasted for (2.8 ± 1.1) weeks. The popcorn (+) group had a significantly higher natural regression incidence than the popcorn (-) group (P < 0.05). The laser-treated eyes in the popcorn (+) group had earlier presentations (36.4 ± 0.7 vs. 38.2 ± 1.3 weeks) and shorter existences (1.5 ± 0.5 vs. 3.2 ± 0.9 weeks) of popcorn than the regressed eyes (P < 0.01, respectively).
Conclusion:
Popcorn is generally a "benign" indicator of the regression of ROP. The early presentation (
