Retinopathy of prematurity in infants with late retinal examination.
OBJECTIVE
To report the incidence, severity and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in premature infants with late ROP examination in Farabi Eye Hospital.


METHODS
In a retrospective study from January 2001 to July 2007, hospital records of premature infants who were examined later than 9 weeks after birth were reviewed to determine the incidence, severity and possible risk factors of ROP including gender, singleton or multiple gestations, gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW), oxygen therapy,blood transfusion, phototherapy, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), mechanical ventilation,intraventricular hemorrhage and sepsis as well as age at initial examination.


RESULTS
Out of a total of 797 infants referred for ROP screening during the study period,216 (27.1%) had late examinations at a mean age of 141.7± 150.4 (range 64-1,460) days. Of these, 87 (40.3%) had different stages of ROP, 65 (30.1%) had stage 4 or 5 disease including 34 (16.2%) infants with stage 5 ROP in both eyes which was untreatable. Lower GA (P<0.001), RDS (P=0.041) and blood transfusion (P=0.009) were associated with the development of ROP.


CONCLUSIONS
The overall prevalence of ROP and the incidence of severe ROP in particular,were unacceptably high in premature infants with late screening. These findings necessitate interventions to optimize timely referral for screening of premature infants.
Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
S Zeinab
SZ
Mousavi
Reza
R
Karkhaneh
Mohammad
M
Riazi-Esfahani
Mohammad-Reza
MR
Mansouri
Ramak
R
Roohipoor
Leila
L
Ghalichi
Malihe
M
Kadivar
Mehdi
M
Nili-Ahmadabadi
Fatemeh
F
Naieri