Screening and Risk Factors for Retinopathy of Prematurity in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Cairo, Egypt

Complications of Preterm Birth-The Importance of Care for the Outcome: A Narrative Review

Preterm-born children are susceptible to problems of adaptation in the early neonatal period, as well as the emergence of consequences due to the immaturity of the respiratory, cardiovascular, and especially cerebrovascular systems. The authors searched PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for articles that were available in their entirety and published in English between 1990 and 2024 in peer-reviewed journals using keywords relevant to the manuscript topic. Analyzing the requested studies and manuscripts, adequate articles describing the stated problem were used. The last trimester of pregnancy is the most important period in brain development. Brain growth is at its most intense, and nerve cells are created, multiply, and migrate, creating numerous connections between them and receptors. During this period, the baby is protected from the influence of external environmental factors. When a baby is born, it leaves its protected environment and very often requires intensive treatment to survive. In these circumstances, the immature nervous system, which is in a sensitive stage of development, is overloaded with numerous external stimuli, continuous light, noise, inappropriate positioning, and repeated painful reactions due to necessary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and the unavoidable absence of the mother and the family, which cause stress that threatens proper programmed development. Minimally invasive therapeutic procedures and the presence of parents during hospitalization play a significant role in reducing the consequences for a premature child.

Vitrectomy Results for Stages 4 and 5 Retinopathy of Prematurity in Iraq

Background

Stage 4 and 5 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a serious condition that may require surgical intervention at some point. Timely intervention is a key element and, with the peculiarity of eyes among this group that necessities a certain level of surgical standards, operations cannot be undertaken in any surgical eye center.

Aim of the Study

To recognize the outcomes of vitrectomy in Iraqi preterm babies with stage 4 and 5 ROP, and to study factors that might increase the risk of re-detachment in operated eyes.

Methods

A prospective cohort study undertaken from November 2020 to June 2023 for Iraqi preterm babies presenting with stage 4 and 5 ROP requiring surgical intervention. Each patient had a follow-up duration of 9 months. The primary follow-up outcome was anatomical success rate (flat versus detached), and the secondary outcome was to identify the postoperative complications.

Results

This study enrolled 19 children; 11 males and eight females (number of eyes operated on was was 31), with a mean gestational age of 29.4±2.1 weeks. There were six (19.4%) eyes that did not develop any complications, five (16.1%) eyes developed postoperative vitreous hemorrhage, five (16.1%) eyes developed cataract, three (9.7%) eyes underwent a second vitrectomy, and seven (22.6%) eyes developed secondary glaucoma. The surgical success rates were 90.9% for stage 4a, 57.1% for stage 4b, and 33.3% for stage 5a.

Conclusion

This study presented the first surgical experience for vitrectomy in children with retinopathy of prematurity in our country, and the results were encouraging with an overall surgical success rate of 64.5%, and 19.4% of eyes did not develop any complication until the 1-year of follow-up.

Latest Trends in Retinopathy of Prematurity: Research on Risk Factors, Diagnostic Methods and Therapies

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vasoproliferative disorder with an imminent risk of blindness, in cases where early diagnosis and treatment are not performed. The doctors' constant motivation to give these fragile beings a chance at life with optimal visual acuity has never stopped, since Terry first described this condition. Thus, throughout time, several specific advancements have been made in the management of ROP. Apart from the most known risk factors, this narrative review brings to light the latest research about new potential risk factors, such as: proteinuria, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and blood transfusions. Digital imaging has revolutionized the management of retinal pathologies, and it is more and more used in identifying and staging ROP, particularly in the disadvantaged regions by the means of telescreening. Moreover, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and automated diagnostic tools based on deep learning offer new perspectives on the ROP diagnosis. The new therapeutical trend based on the use of anti-VEGF agents is increasingly used in the treatment of ROP patients, and recent research sustains the theory according to which these agents do not interfere with the neurodevelopment of premature babies.