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Screening for retinopathy of prematurity: results of a retrospective 3-year study of 502 infants.

PURPOSE
To describe the surveillance, results of screening, and treatment of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in a university hospital setting in southeast France.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Five hundred two premature infants were included in the screening protocol between January 1997 and December 1999. Criteria for inclusion in the study were a gestational age of 32 weeks or younger, a birth weight of less than 1,501 g, or both. The first fundus examination was performed between 4 and 6 weeks of life. Thereafter, fundus examination was performed in the absence of ROP every 2 weeks until complete retinal vasculature developed, gestational age of 50 weeks, or death. Examination was weekly in cases of retinopathy, biweekly if progression was ascertained, and less frequent only if regression was evident. Hospital records were reviewed to assess the presence or absence and eventual degree of ROP.


RESULTS
Stage 1 was observed in 32 infants, and stage 2 in 11 infants; all of these cases regressed. Three cases of bilateral stage 3 (two threshold and one prethreshold) disease underwent diode laser peripheral retinal ablation and regressed. One infant with bilateral stage 3 disease who underwent peripheral cryoablative surgery progressed to stage 4A in one eye and 4B in the other eye and then underwent scleral buckling surgery in the second eye.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite survival increasing with improved neonatal intensive care, the incidence of ROP does not appear to be increasing. In our center, the incidence appears to be lower than previously reported.