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Retinal Blood Flow Decreases After Treatment with Laser Photocoagulation for Retinopathy of Prematurity
Shaiza Mansoor1, Christina Kilby2, Joyce Wang1
1School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland.
Insights
Laser photocoagulation treatment for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) significantly reduced total retinal blood flow (TRBF) in infants. Blood flow decreased most notably in the nasal and superior quadrants after treatment.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of blindness in premature infants.
- Laser photocoagulation is a standard treatment for ROP, but its effect on retinal blood flow is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare total retinal blood flow (TRBF) before and after laser photocoagulation treatment for ROP.
- To assess the impact of ROP treatment on retinal hemodynamics using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI).
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study was conducted on 8 premature infants (14 eyes) undergoing ROP treatment.
- TRBF was measured longitudinally using LSCI before and after laser photocoagulation.
- Regression analysis with generalized estimating equations was used to account for bilateral and longitudinal data.
Main Results:
- Peak TRBF decreased significantly from 8.8 ± 2.1 a.u. before treatment to 7.3 ± 1.4 a.u. after treatment (P = 0.04).
- The nasal quadrant showed the most significant reduction in blood flow (P = 0.02), followed by the superior quadrant (P = 0.03).
- No significant blood flow reduction was observed in the inferior or temporal quadrants.
Conclusions:
- Laser photocoagulation treatment for ROP results in lower total retinal blood flow.
- The reduction in blood flow is quadrant-specific, with nasal and superior quadrants being most affected.
Purpose:
To compare total retinal blood flow (TRBF) rates before and after retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) treatment with laser photocoagulation using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI).
Design:
Prospective cohort study.
Participants:
Fourteen eyes from 8 premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit receiving laser photocoagulation treatment for ROP.
Methods:
Total retinal blood flow was measured using LSCI longitudinally before and after laser treatment. Subject characteristics and clinical ROP features were included in regression analysis using generalized estimating equations to account for 2 eyes per subject and longitudinal measures over time.
Main Outcome Measures:
The main outcome measure was peak TRBF.
Results:
Prior to ROP treatment with laser photocoagulation, subjects had a peak TRBF of 8.8 ± 2.1 a.u. compared to 7.3 ± 1.4 a.u. after treatment (mean difference = 1.5 a.u., P = 0.04). Quadrant-specific blood flow analysis found that the nasal quadrant demonstrated the most significant blood flow reduction after laser treatment (P = 0.02), followed by the superior quadrant (P = 0.03). The inferior (P = 0.3) and temporal (P = 0.4) quadrants did not have significant blood flow reduction. Peak TRBF decreased over time after laser treatment, but the decrease was not significant (β = -0.3 a.u./week, P = 0.2).
Conclusions:
We observed lower TRBF after ROP treatment with laser photocoagulation.
Financial Disclosures:
Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.
