Longitudinal assessment of plus disease in retinopathy of prematurity using color Doppler imaging.
Retinal vascular changes and the development of plus disease are the hallmarks of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether or not serial examinations of retrobulbar blood flow characteristics, as measured by color Doppler imaging (CDI) performed repeatedly over a period of several weeks, would be useful for predicting those infants at risk for developing plus disease and to determine whether this technique may be used as an objective tool for confirming the presence of plus disease. Of the 73 infants followed in this study, 14 (19%) developed plus disease confirmed by a panel of experts. When comparing the group of infants developing plus disease with those infants who did not develop plus disease, we did not find any significant differences in the retrobulbar blood flow characteristics of either the central retinal or ophthalmic arteries. Color Doppler imaging did not appear to be a clinically useful tool in the longitudinal management of ROP, nor did it appear to be useful as an objective determinant of plus disease in these premature infants.
Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Indianapolis, 46202, USA. deneely@iupui.edu
Daniel
D
Neely
Alon
A
Harris
Elizabeth
E
Hynes
Lissa
L
McNulty
Lynne
L
McCranor
Brent
B
Siesky
David
D
Plager
Derek
D
Sprunger
Gavin
G
Roberts
D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods*