title: Subfoveal fluid in healthy full-term newborns observed by handheld spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report retinal findings for healthy newborn infants imaged with handheld spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, observational case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine full-term newborn infants underwent dilated retinal examinations by indirect ophthalmoscopy and retinal imaging by handheld SD OCT, without sedation, at the Duke Birthing Center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 39 infants imaged, 44% (17/39) were male. Race and ethnicity composition was 56% white, 38% black, 3% Asian, and 3% Hispanic. Median gestational age was 39 weeks (range, 36 to 41 weeks). Six (15%) of the 39 infants had bilateral subfoveal fluid on SD OCT not seen by indirect ophthalmoscopy. Eight infants (21%) had retinal hemorrhages noted on dilated retinal examination, 1 of which had subretinal fluid on SD OCT. Subretinal fluid was noted on follow-up examination to have resolved on SD OCT 1 to 4 months later. Infants with bilateral subretinal fluid had an older gestational age compared with infants without subretinal fluid (median, 40.4 vs 39.1 weeks, respectively; P = .03) and were more likely to have had mothers with diabetes (2/6 vs 0/33, respectively; P = .02). Vaginal versus Caesarian section delivery was not significantly different between the 2 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some healthy full-term infants have bilateral subfoveal fluid not obvious on dilated retinal examination. This fluid resolves within several months. The visual significance of this finding is unknown, but clinicians should be aware that it is common when evaluating newborn infants for retinal pathologic features using SD OCT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Duke Eye Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.forename: Ramiro S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Maldonado
authors.forename: Cynthia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Toth
authors.forename: Rachelle V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: Bei Bei
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Stephanie J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Sina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farsiu
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Sandra S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Stinnett
authors.forename: Gabriela M Maradiaga
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Panayotti
authors.forename: Geeta K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Swamy
authors.forename: Sharon F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Freedman
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000295:instrumentation; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012166:Retinal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis; D058471:Subretinal Fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D047929:Term Birth / Q000502:physiology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence