Low Birth Weight Is a Risk Factor for Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity Depending on Gestational Age

Objective: To evaluate the impact of low birth weight as a risk factor for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) that will require treatment in correlation with gestational age at birth (GA). Study design In total, 2941 infants born <32 weeks GA were eligible from five cohorts of preterm infants previously collected for analysis in WINROP (Weight IGF-I Neonatal ROP) from the following locations: Sweden (EXPRESS) (n = 426), North America (n = 1772), Boston (n = 338), Lund (n = 52), and Gothenburg (n = 353). Data regarding GA at birth, birth weight (BW), gender, and need for ROP treatment were retrieved. Birth weight standard deviation scores (BWSDS) were calculated with Swedish as well as Canadian reference models. Small for gestational age (SGA) was defined as BWSDS less than −2.0 SDS using the Swedish reference and as BW below the 10th percentile using the Canadian reference charts. Results: Univariate analysis showed that low GA (p<0.001), low BW (p<0.001), male gender (p<0.05), low BWSDSCanada (p<0.001), and SGACanada (p<0.01) were risk factors for ROP that will require treatment. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, low GA (p<0.0001), male gender (p<0.01 and p<0.05), and an interaction term of BWSDS*GA group (p<0.001), regardless of reference chart, were risk factors. Low BWSDS was less important as a risk factor in infants born at GA <26 weeks compared with infants born at GA ≥26 weeks calculated with both reference charts (BWSDSSweden, OR = 0.80 vs 0.56; and BWSDSCanada, OR = 0.72 vs 0.41). Conclusions: Low BWSDS as a risk factor for vision-threatening ROP is dependent on the infant's degree of immaturity. In more mature infants (GA ≥26 weeks), low BWSDS becomes a major risk factor for developing ROP that will require treatment. These results persist even when calculating BW deficit with different well-established approaches

High rate and large intercentre variability in retreatment of retinopathy of prematurity in infants born

Objective Prematurity is a major risk factor for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). We aimed to elucidate ROP prevalence, treatment and retreatment in infants born before 24 gestational age (GA) weeks in a Swedish cohort.Methods and analysis Infants with completed ROP screening, born at &lt;24 GA weeks, 2007–2018 in Sweden were included. Data of GA, birth weight (BW), sex, neonatal morbidities, maximal ROP stage, aggressive posterior ROP (APROP), ROP treatments, treatment modality and treatment centre were retrieved.Results In total, 399 infants, with a mean GA of 23.2 weeks (range 21.9–23.9) and a mean BW of 567 g (range 340–874), were included. ROP was detected in 365 (91.5%) infants, 173 (43.4%) were treated for ROP and 68 of 173 (39.3%) were treated more than once. As the first treatment, 142 (82.0%) received laser and 29 (16.1%) received intravitreal injection of antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF). Retreatment was performed after first laser in 46 of 142 (32.4%) and in 20 of 29 (69.0%) after first anti-VEGF treatment. Retreatment rate was not associated with GA, BW or sex but with APROP, treatment method (anti-VEGF) and treatment centre where the laser was performed (p&lt;0.001). Twenty eyes progressed to retinal detachment, and two infants developed unilateral endophthalmitis after anti-VEGF treatment.Conclusion Infants, born at &lt;24 weeks’ GA, had high rates of treatment-warranting ROP and retreatments. Treatment centre highly influenced the retreatment rate after laser indicating that laser treatment could be improved in some settings

Macular function measured by binocular mfERG and compared with macular structure in healthy children.

To create normative data in children from binocular multifocal ERG (mfERG) recordings and compare results with the macular thickness

Treatment for retinopathy of prematurity in infants born before 27 weeks of gestation in Sweden

AIMS: To study various aspects of treatment for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in a Swedish population of extremely preterm infants born before 27 weeks of gestation. METHODS: A national, prospective and population-based study was performed in Sweden from April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2007. The criteria for treatment of ROP accorded with the recommendations of the Early Treatment for Retinopathy of Prematurity Cooperative Group. RESULTS: Twenty percent of the infants (99/506) were treated for ROP. The likelihood of reaching treatment criteria nearly doubled for each week of reduction in gestational age (GA) at birth. The first treatment was performed at an earlier postmenstrual age in the most immature infants. One third of the infants had more than one session of laser treatment. CONCLUSIONS: A high percentage of these extremely preterm infants required treatment for ROP. The likelihood of reaching treatment criteria increased with a decline in GA at birth. Although only a few infants progressed to ROP Stages 4 and 5, our findings indicate a potential for improvement of the treatment routines, both regarding timing and number of laser spots at the first treatment

Individual Risk Prediction for Sight-Threatening Retinopathy of Prematurity Using Birth Characteristics

Question: Can a prediction model be constructed for retinopathy of prematurity needing treatment by using only birth characteristics data and applying advanced statistical methods? Findings: In this cohort study of 6947 infants born at gestational age 24 to 30 weeks, the prediction model incorporating only postnatal age, gestational age, sex, and birth weight provided a predictive ability for retinopathy of prematurity needing treatment that was comparable to current models requiring postnatal data (not always available). The risk for retinopathy of prematurity needing treatment increased up to 12 weeks' postnatal age irrespective of the infants' gestational age. Meaning: This prediction model identifying infants with a high risk for developing sight-threatening disease at an early time may improve the conditions for optimal screening. This cohort study creates and validates an easy-to-use prediction model using only birth characteristics and describes a continuous hazard function for retinopathy of prematurity treatment. Importance: To prevent blindness, repeated infant eye examinations are performed to detect severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), yet only a small fraction of those screened need treatment. Early individual risk stratification would improve screening timing and efficiency and potentially reduce the risk of blindness. Objectives: To create and validate an easy-to-use prediction model using only birth characteristics and to describe a continuous hazard function for ROP treatment. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this retrospective cohort study, Swedish National Patient Registry data from infants screened for ROP (born between January 1, 2007, and August 7, 2018) were analyzed with Poisson regression for time-varying data (postnatal age, gestational age [GA], sex, birth weight, and important interactions) to develop an individualized predictive model for ROP treatment (called DIGIROP-Birth [Digital ROP]). The model was validated internally and externally (in US and European cohorts) and compared with 4 published prediction models. Main Outcomes and Measures: The study outcome was ROP treatment. The measures were estimated momentary and cumulative risks, hazard ratios with 95% CIs, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (hereinafter referred to as AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). Results: Among 7609 infants (54.6% boys; mean [SD] GA, 28.1 [2.1] weeks; mean [SD] birth weight, 1119 [353] g), 442 (5.8%) were treated for ROP, including 142 (40.1%) treated of 354 born at less than 24 gestational weeks. Irrespective of GA, the risk for receiving ROP treatment increased during postnatal weeks 8 through 12 and decreased thereafter. Validations of DIGIROP-Birth for 24 to 30 weeks' GA showed high predictive ability for the model overall (AUC, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.89-0.92] for internal validation, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.90-0.98] for temporal validation, 0.87 [95% CI, 0.84-0.89] for US external validation, and 0.90 [95% CI, 0.85-0.95] for European external validation) by calendar periods and by race/ethnicity. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were numerically at least as high as those obtained from CHOP-ROP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia-ROP), OMA-ROP (Omaha-ROP), WINROP (weight, insulinlike growth factor 1, neonatal, ROP), and CO-ROP (Colorado-ROP), models requiring more complex postnatal data. Conclusions and Relevance: This study validated an individualized prediction model for infants born at 24 to 30 weeks' GA, enabling early risk prediction of ROP treatment based on birth characteristics data. Postnatal age rather than postmenstrual age was a better predictive variable for the temporal risk of ROP treatment. The model is an accessible online application that appears to be generalizable and to have at least as good test statistics as other models requiring longitudinal neonatal data not always readily available to ophthalmologists