Retinopathy of Prematurity: Advances in the Screening and Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity Using a Single Center Approach





Purpose


To focus on the longitudinal evaluation of high-risk infants for the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) at a single tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and to evaluate evolving demographics of ROP and the transition of treatment-warranted disease.


Design


Retrospective cohort study.


Methods


A consecutive retrospective review was performed of all infants screened for ROP between 1990 and 2019 at the Jackson Memorial Hospital neonatal intensive care unit. All inborn infants meeting a birth criteria of <32 weeks’ gestational age (GA) or a birthweight (BW) of 1500 g were included. Longitudinal demographic, diagnostic, and treatment data were reported.


Results


Between January 1, 1990, and June 20, 2019, a total of 25,567 examinations were performed and 7436 patients were included. Longitudinal trends over 3 decades demonstrated a decreasing incidence of ROP ( P < .05). Although the mean BW and GA increased over 3 decades, patients with ROP demonstrated lower BW and GA over time ( P < .05). The prevalence of micro-premature infants (as defined by BW <750 g) continues to rise over time. Micro-preemies demonstrated increasing severity of zone and stage grading, plus disease, and propensity to require treatment ( P < .05). The rate of progression of ROP to stage 4 and 5 disease has decreased over time, and there has been an associated increased adoption of intravitreal bevacizumab as primary and salvage therapy.


Conclusions


Understanding the evolution of ROP infants and treatment over time is critical in identifying high-risk infants and in reducing the incidence of severe-stage ROP. Micro-prematurity is one of the significant risk factors for treatment-warranted ROP that continues to increase as neonatal care improves. NOTE: Publication of this article is sponsored by the American Ophthalmological Society.


R etinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vascular disease affecting primarily the premature retina that can lead to severe visual impairment and blindness. Terry initially described the disease entity in 1942 as “retrolental fibroplasia” due to the appearance of eyes in end-stage ROP presenting with complex retinal detachment. Since then, our understanding of ROP has transformed dramatically through landmark trials such as Cryotherapy for ROP (CRYO-ROP), the Early Treatment for ROP (ETROP), and Bevacizumab Eliminates the Angiogenic Threat of Retinopathy of Prematurity (BEAT-ROP).


Retinopathy of prematurity remains one of the leading causes of pediatric vision loss in the United States and worldwide, resulting in lifelong legal blindness. This disease blinds approximately 550 infants in the United States and 50,000 infants worldwide per year. , The global prevalence of this devastating disease has spurred significant research in the area of prevention, including understanding the epidemiological landscape of the disease, optimizing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) management, discovering newer technologies for screening, and advances in treatment capabilities. Despite these advances, however, ROP continues to be a challenge in both developed and undeveloped nations. Increasing rates of infant prematurity have been complicated by a focus on micro-premature infants in the developed world and atypical presentations in less developed countries. Previously, these births had been deemed nonviable but now are routinely cared for within the advanced NICU system. The survivability of these infants has been a major driver for the increasing proportional incidence of both any-stage ROP and treatment-warranted threshold ROP. , For many recent studies, this has been a major confounding variable. In this study, we were able to stratify for micro-prematurity and its associated risks and outcomes.


EPIDEMIOLOGY


Retinopathy of prematurity is a disease that primarily affects preterm infants born before 31 weeks’ gestational age (GA) and exacerbated by low birthweight (BW ≤1250g). , From 1981 to 2006, preterm births had been steadily increasing to a rate of 12% to 13% of all births in the United States. From 2007 to 2014, preterm birth rates saw a gradual decline driven by a reduction in births by teens and younger women. Recently, however, from 2014 to 2018, rates have again risen to 10% of all births in the United States.


Multiple studies have examined the trends of ROP incidence across time in the United States, typically focusing on public health hospitals and academic centers. , Most studies have reported ROP incidence as remaining steady or gradually increasing. Conversely, mean BW and GA in ROP infants have decreased over time. , Medical and technological advances in neonatal care are partly responsible for the increased survival of younger and smaller infants as well as the rising popularity of artificial reproductive technology (ART) leading to premature birth and multiple gestation leading to lower-BW infants. , As a result, these factors have led to an increased prevalence of at-risk infants. Quinn et al. established that, in the 1980s, 15.8% of infants born preterm weighed <750 g, and 43.8% were born at ≤27 weeks’ GA. These rates have risen dramatically in the past decade (2010-2019) to 33.4% and 68.1%, respectively. These studies have determined that up to 68% of these low-BW infants (<1250 g) consistently develop some stage of acute ROP. ,


ROP CLASSIFICATION


The International Classification of ROP (ICROP) was developed in 1984 and aimed to classify ROP by stage, grade, and zone. This classification established a uniform language for ophthalmologists. Moving forward, advances in classification have been led by consensus agreement among the ROP community. Using the ICROP criteria enabled a standardization of ROP diagnoses and ROP severity grading. Demonstration and illustration of ROP zone and stage severity are outlined in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , respectively.




Figure 1


Retinopathy of prematurity zones. Fundus photograph demonstrating zone I as defined by a circle centered upon the optic nerve with a radius of twice the distance from the nerve to the macula, zone II as defined by the area from the edge of zone I to a circle with a radius extending from the optic nerve to the nasal ora serrata, and zone III as defined by the residual temporal crescent anterior beyond zone II.



Figure 2


Retinopathy of prematurity staging criteria. A. Stage 1, defined as a demarcation line. B. Stage 2, defined as an elevated ridge of retinal tissue. C. Stage 3, defined as a ridge of retinal tissue with extraretinal neovascularization or fibrovascular proliferation. D. Stage 4, defined as extrafoveal retinal detachment or subtotal retinal detachment. E. Stage 5, defined as total retinal detachment.


The ETROP defined treatment guidelines for a newly recognized threshold. The ETROP used a complex algorithm to stage ROP, coupled with a treatment guideline. Pre-threshold ROP was defined as zone I, any stage; zone II, stage 2 with plus; zone II, stage 3 without plus; zone II, stage 3 with plus but fewer than 5 contiguous or 8 composite clock hours of disease, and threshold ROP was defined by zone I or II, stage 3 with 5 contiguous or 8 composite clock hours of disease with plus; zone I, any stage with plus. ETROP recommended treatment for type 1 ROP which was defined as zone I, any stage with plus disease, or zone I, stage 3 plus/minus disease, or zone II, stage 2 or 3 with plus disease were treated. Follow-up screening intervals were conducted according to the recommendations by the AAO/AAP as outlined in Table 1 .



Table 1

Follow-up Screening Guidelines.


































1 Week or Less 1 to 2 Weeks 2 Weeks 2 to 3 Weeks
•Immature retina to zone 1 •Immature vascularization to posterior zone 2 •Stage 1 ROP in zone 2 •Stage 1 or 2 ROP in zone 3
•Immature retina extends into posterior zone 2, near the boundary of zone 1 •Stage 2 ROP in zone 2 •Immature vascularization to zone 2 •Regressing ROP in zone 3
•Stage 1 or 2 ROP in zone 1 •Unequivocally regressing ROP in zone 1 •Unequivocally regressing ROP in zone 2
•Stage 3 ROP in zone 2
•The presence or suspected presence of aggressive posterior ROP

ROP = retinopathy of prematurity.


Historically, the presence of vessel tortuosity and engorgement was noted to be associated with ROP as early as 1949. , As more authors began including the designation of ROP “plus” or “+” disease in their classification schemes, the popularity of the term increased. Finally, in 1984, the ICROP defined plus disease as “the vascular changes are so marked that the posterior veins are enlarged and the arterioles tortuous,” and incorporated it into their classifications for ROP. Thereafter, the definition of plus disease underwent several modifications and quickly became as important as the zone and stage of ROP. In the ETROP trial, plus disease was recognized for the first time as being critical in the evaluation of treatment-warranted threshold ROP. , It was defined by comparison of the perineural vasculature to gold standard images. The presence of plus disease became a driving indication for treatment of ROP beginning in 2003. ,


Other examination risk factors for the development of treatment-warranted ROP have been identified by our group and others. The presence of a persistent tunica vasculosa lentis (TVL) has been noted to have higher rates of zone 1 disease and treatment-warranted disease in a case-matched study. Light (versus medium or dark) fundus pigmentation has also been found to be associated with higher-risk ROP. Specifically, a lighter fundus pigmentation was associated with a diagnosis of plus disease, more posterior zone, higher-stage disease, and treatment for ROP. These additional risk factors help to identify at-risk infants and to make NICU screening more timely and efficient.


Changes in Neonatal Care


Advances in neonatal care have significantly impacted infant survival. Low birthweight and very-low-birthweight infants are now commonly surviving within the NICU, resulting in a clear shift towards a unique at-risk subpopulation. , , Furthermore, this population demonstrates significant comorbidities including multiparous gestation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhages, and necrotizing enterocolitis and coexisting infections that were much less commonly associated with prematurity in the prior 2 decades.


In 1956, Kinsey first discovered the link between prolonged exposure to oxygen-rich environments and the proliferation of retrolental fibroplasia. Multiple large-scale studies have since corroborated his findings. The Surfactant, Positive Pressure, and Pulse Oximetry Randomized Trial (SUPPORT) found that lower oxygen target saturations of 85% to 89% were not associated with a significant increase in mortality and were in fact associated with a lower rate of ROP as compared to the higher oxygen target saturation group of 91% to 95%. Similarly, the Canadian Oxygen Trial (COT) in 2013 confirmed that rates of death were similar among lower target and higher target oxygen saturation groups. In contrast, 2 major studies, the Benefits of Oxygen Saturation Targeting (BOOST II) study and the Neonatal Oxygenation Prospective Meta-analysis (NeOProM) collaboration have shown that mortality rates were higher in the lower target oxygen saturation group versus the higher saturation target group, although rates of ROP were improved in the lower target group. , These studies have not defined a consensus to oxygen target saturations, although current recommendations suggest targeting 91% to 95% saturation range as a way to both minimize mortality and maintain acceptable rates of ROP. ,


More widespread use of surfactant and maternal antenatal steroids has also been attributed to increased infant survival, and potentially a decreased incidence and severity of ROP over time. , Surfactant has been found to decrease postnatal time on mechanical ventilation, increase pulmonary stability, and decrease ROP incidence. , Antenatal steroids have also been proved to decrease rates of pulmonary complications as well as intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), which in turn improves infant survival. , Although these risk factors may increase the number of surviving preterm infants, some studies suggest that reducing pulmonary complications and IVH may also reduce the incidence of ROP. ,


Internationally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has targeted infant mortality broadly within multiple economically challenged regions. The focus of many of these interventions targets educational strategies that typically require minimal resources. In 1983, a focus on enhanced skin-to-skin contact, exclusive breastfeeding, and early recognition of perinatal complications was proposed to decrease infant mortality. Beginning in the early 2000s, the WHO published guidelines recommending this practice. , Using these simple measures, multiple studies have demonstrated up to a 51% reduction of preterm neonatal deaths. These studies did not specifically investigate the impact of these strategies on the development of ROP. ,


Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has also been a significant factor in the increase in preterm births, multiple gestational pregnancies, and infants at risk for ROP. , Each year, there is an annual increase in the rate of ART by at least 10% globally. A number of investigations have confirmed the association between ART and the development of ROP. In 1 such study, 23% of all ART infants developed some stage of ROP. Others have found that ART is associated with nearly a 5-fold increase in the risk of developing treatment-warranted ROP.


As these trends in neonatal medicine continue, we can expect rising number of preterm infants at risk for ROP. Furthermore, these advances are associated with earlier gestational age and lower-BW premature infants. , , These data support the increasing need for targeted ROP screening. Like many areas within ophthalmology, the increasing burden will require unique solutions. One such approach is the incorporation of remote screening, both with and without the integration of artificial intelligence both to evaluate the quality of the obtained images and to classify these images based on risk.


Screening Guidelines


Screening guidelines for ROP have been a persistent focus of discussion. In 1997, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recommended routine screening for ROP in all infants younger than 28 weeks’ GA or <1500 g BW. This recommendation changed in 2006 when the criteria were set for all infants of GA 32 weeks or younger, or <1500 g BW. In 2013, the AAP and AAO recommendations were updated again to include screening for infants 30 weeks or younger or <1500 g BW. At present, these guidelines remain essentially unchanged, with the caveat that high-risk infants outside of the traditional screening parameters may benefit from screening at the discretion of the neonatologist.


Critically, the first ophthalmic screening is recommended at either 6 weeks’ post-conceptual age (even if earlier than 31 weeks) or at 31 weeks’ gestational age. Follow-up screening intervals are also pivotal in the determination of progression and/or risk. The AAP/AAO recommend 1 week or less of follow-up for those infants with the highest risk attributes, with extended screening intervals for moderate- and lower-risk examination findings ( Table 1 ).


Challenges in Screening


Retinopathy of prematurity is more than a complex medical disease: it is also a significant public health challenge. As our knowledge of the pathophysiology of ROP and its at-risk patient population evolves, there continues to be an ongoing discussion on optimal screening and treatment guidelines.


Multiple different issues contribute to the challenges in ROP screening. The difficulty in determining the optimal guidelines is reflected by the range of different screening protocols across countries. For example, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) recommends screening all infants <32 weeks’ GA or <1501 g BW. In Canada, the recommendation is to screen any infant ≤ 30 and 6/7 weeks GA regardless of birthweight and any infant with a BW ≤1250. This screening is recommended to begin based on the post-menstrual age (GA plus chronological age). Both of these recommendations, from independent economically developed nations, are different from those of the AAP/AAO.


An additional factor that has complicated ROP screening is the rapid advancement of neonatal care and evolving demographics of preterm infants in NICUs across the United States and around the world. Longitudinal tracking of these demographics is difficult. Adding to the complexity is that many studies evaluating ROP risk factors are often regionally focused and have differed in outcomes, suggesting that even regional factors may influence ROP risks. For example, the incidence of ROP has been reported to vary from as low as 15% to 20% to as high as 68%. , , , , Generalizability, therefore, becomes an issue.


Further complicating the challenge of ROP is the existence of both known and unknown variables as predictors of risk. This has led to the lack of universal algorithms or protocols that fully capture and predict with high sensitivity and specificity which infants will eventually develop ROP. , Factors beyond GA and BW have been proposed as helpful predictors for developing ROP, such as insulin-like growth factor and weight gain, but still need further validation.


The complexity of screening has led multiple investigators to propose algorithms capable of predicting high risk ROP using both natal and postnatal factors. Well-known algorithms include CHOP-ROP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia-ROP), OMA-ROP (Omaha-ROP), WINROP (weight, insulin-like growth factor, neonatal ROP), DIGIROP (Digital ROP), and CO-ROP (Colorado-ROP). In 2009, Lofqvist et al validated a screening algorithm called WINROP using weekly measures of body weight, serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) levels, GA, BW, and IGF-binding protein. Although the utility of the complex WINROP algorithm was validated, recent external re-validation studies have demonstrated sensitivities as low as 55%. , The CHOP-ROP algorithm was described in 2011 by Binenbaum et al. It uses a combination of BW, GA, and daily weight gain to stratify risk. , The sensitivity of predicting type 1 or 2 ROP was reported to be 98%, but the authors recommended further validation before widespread adoption. More recently, in 2019, the DIGIROP algorithm was proposed as a simplified method using BW and GA to predict ROP risk, and was both internally and externally validated to be comparable in its accuracy to CHOP-ROP, OMA-ROP, and WINROP (using area-under-the-curve comparative analysis). The abundance of ROP screening algorithms is helpful, but clearly suggests that no single algorithm has yet been identified to meet both the clinical need and to maintain excellent sensitivity and specificity.


Finally, generalized guidelines that aim to maximize the inclusion of at-risk infants can expose infants to a stressful examination, , whereas more targeted guidelines may allow certain infants at risk for ROP to be delayed in their screening. This same logic applies to screening intervals. Clearly, screening guidelines are critical to identify those at-risk infants who will require initial and ongoing screening to eliminate the late consequences of advanced ROP.


Evolution of ROP Treatment


In the 1970s, Japanese investigators first published several trials documenting the positive treatment impact of cryotherapy in acute-stage ROP. , , Prior to this, attempts at treating and preventing progression of ROP with other approaches had not succeeded, with surgical intervention being the only treatment in very severe cases of what was then considered retrolental fibroplasia.


The CRYO-ROP trial in 1988 demonstrated a 50% reduction of unfavorable outcomes in ROP eyes treated by cryotherapy versus untreated eyes. Soon thereafter, several factors led to the adoption of laser photocoagulation over cryotherapy for treatment of ROP, including both the complications of cryotherapy and the ease of treatment by way of indirect laser ophthalmoscopy to maintain favorable anatomic and visual outcomes. , In our institution, the transition from cryotherapy to targeted laser therapy occurred in the late 1990s. In the early 2000s, the ETROP study supported the importance of early treatment, using laser photocoagulation to reduce the rates of unfavorable outcomes in high-risk ROP. Recognizing this outcome, the AAO shifted its treatment recommendations to laser photocoagulation as an initial therapy whenever possible. As with any invasive treatment, long-term complications may occur. For laser photocoagulation, visually unfavorable outcomes included permanent restriction of visual field, increased incidence of high myopia, amblyopia, cataracts, nyctalopia, pachyphakia, microcornea, and angle closure (PMAC). These complications highlighted the need for alternative therapies and prompted much of the advanced investigations leading to the adoption of anti−vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy, initially as a salvage therapy, then ultimately as primary therapy for treatment-warranted ROP.


Current treatment paradigms often include both anti-VEGF and/or laser photocoagulation. Although safety and efficacy trials are ongoing, several recently published trials, including BEAT-ROP and ranibizumab versus laser therapy for the treatment of very low birthweight infants with retinopathy of prematurity (RAINBOW), have demonstrated positive structural outcomes from treatment with anti-VEGF. , , Initial results looking at adverse effects have reported lower rates of posttreatment refractive error, anterior segment complications, and visual field constriction. The major controversy in the direct use of intravitreal anti-VEGF has focused on the theoretical risk on developing vascular systems within the premature infant. Internationally, the standard of care of advanced treatment-warranted ROP is intravitreal anti-VEGF, whereas in the United States, several academic centers continue to focus on laser ablative approaches to primary therapy. ,


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY


The aim of this study is to focus on the longitudinal evaluation of high-risk infants for the development of ROP at a single tertiary NICU, and to evaluate evolving demographics of ROP and the transition of treatment-warranted disease using an integrated screening/treating surgeon approach enabling reduction in bias often associated with extended study timelines.


SUBJECTS AND METHODS


This study was compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki, and was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.


Subjects


A consecutive retrospective review was performed including all infants who received any examination(s) for ROP at the Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Eligible infants included all those screened between January 1, 1990, and June 20, 2019. All included infants were screened and evaluated for ROP by a trained retinal physician from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (BPEI)/University of Miami, with the assistance of a trained nursing staff. A neonatologist and a dedicated ROP nurse identified all infants requiring screening. This dedicated ROP nurse was present at all times during the screening process alongside the physician. Infants deemed to be critically unstable and at high risk for mortality underwent deferred screening until cleared by the neonatology team. If an infant born from a multiple gestation birth required ROP screening, all NICU-supported siblings were screened.


For the analysis of ROP characteristics, all inborn infants meeting a birth criteria of <32 weeks’ gestational age and/or a BW of 1500 g were included. All outborn infants, those born at outside institutions and subsequently transferred to our institution, were excluded from the primary analysis and were reported separately. For the purpose of this analysis, micro-premature infants were defined as infants with a BW of <750 g.


Data Collection


The BPEI/JMH data set demographic data was abstracted to include BW, GA, GA at time of examination, dates of initial examination and follow-up examinations, multiple-gestation birth status, survival status, and birth location at primary institution or transfer from another institution. Screening data collected included laterality of eye, presence of ROP, zone, stage, number of clock hours of involvement, presence of plus disease, presence of tunica vasculosa lentis, degree of fundus pigmentation, concurrent ocular comorbidities, and clarity of view during examination. Each child was identified with the most advanced stage and zone reached at any time during the study window. Fundus pigmentation was graded on a scale of 1 to 3, with 1 indicating light fundus pigmentation, 2 indicating medium fundus pigmentation, and 3 indicating dark fundus pigmentation ( Figure 3 ) .




Figure 3


Grading of fundus pigmentation. Examples of fundus pigmentation grading to assess all screened patients with (A) representing examples of light (grade 1) fundus pigmentation, (B) medium (grade 2) fundus pigmentation, and (C) dark (grade 3) fundus pigmentation. Figure and caption reproduced with permission from Fan et al.


Treatment-related data included fluorescein angiography photography, fundus RetCam photography (Natus Medical Incorporated, Pleasanton, CA), type of treatment (cryotherapy, laser photocoagulation, intravitreal anti-VEGF, surgery), whether a combination of treatments was required, need for re-treatment, date of additional follow-up treatment, and time to re-treatment if deemed necessary by the treating physician. All data for infants were collected at each examination continuing until the time of discharge from the NICU, until ROP had regressed, or until the infant expired.


Classification and Treatment


Disease classification and diagnosis were determined according to ICROP standards. Plus disease was classified based on standards used by the ETROP and CRYO-ROP, which defined plus as a degree of vascular dilation and tortuosity of the posterior retinal blood vessels in >2 quadrants. , During this 3-decade study interval, 2 primary therapies were used. Laser photocoagulation was the primary therapeutic approach during the first 2 study windows. Intravitreal bevacizumab injections became the primary therapeutic treatment during the third decade. Laser photocoagulation procedures were performed under intravenous sedation, with ongoing NICU monitoring at the bedside. Intravitreal injections were performed at the bedside using topical anesthesia only, following strict standardized protocols. , , Intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) treatment was delivered using a protocol focused on minimizing infection risk, while minimizing treatment-related discomfort. The treatment protocol for bevacizumab used a staged approach. Infants were treated with anti-VEGF upon diagnosis with treatment-warranted ROP. Infants were then screened serially postinjection to assess either a positive response to treatment and/or a potential for advancement of high-risk characteristics (re-development of plus disease, secession of vascularization, alterations to higher stages, or inability to follow care because of social or geographic limitations). The treatment protocol used a sterile eyelid speculum that was placed under topical tetracaine hydrochloride 0.5% or proparacaine hydrochloride 0.5% for anesthesia. The eye(s) to be treated was then prepared with povidone iodine 5%, and the injection of 0.625 mg in 0.05 mL of bevacizumab was given 1.5 mm posterior to the corneoscleral limbus using direct control of the globe. To accomplish this, the infant is held by the NICU nurse and given a pacifier for comfort. Beginning in 2014, a custom short, 32-gauge, 3/16-inch needle was used to inject (TSK Steriject, TSK Laboratory, Japan). Analysis of our injection data documented the safety of the use of these needles to eliminate risk to damage either the retina or the lens. For ROP with progression to subtotal or total retinal detachment, pars plana vitrectomy with or without lensectomy was performed.


Statistical Analysis


Comparisons of categorical variables was performed using the χ 2 test or Fisher exact test. Continuous variables were compared using the Student t test or analysis of variance (ANOVA). Correlations were analyzed using logistic regression with determination of odds ratio for categorical dependent variables or multivariable linear regression for continuous dependent variables. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed using StataIC 15.1 (StataCorp).


RESULTS


Between January 1, 1990, and June 20, 2019, a total of 25,567 examinations were performed. For this analysis, 7436 infants were included who met our study criteria requiring birth demographics and inborn status. For these 7436 infants, the mean BW and mean GA were 1101g and 28.4 weeks, respectively (Table 2) . This final cohort included 1322 multiple-gestational births (17.8%). Retinopathy of prematurity of any severity was diagnosed in 2198 (29.6%) infants ( Table 3 ). For infants weighing ≤1250 g, the proportion of infants diagnosed with ROP was 43.1%. The overall mean zone and stage severity was zone 2.0 and stage 1.8, respectively. The mean BW and mean GA for infants with ROP were significantly lower at 822.9 and 26.3 weeks, respectively ( P < .001) ( Table 3 ), compared to the non-ROP population.


Stratification of infants by Age and Weight


Screened infants and ROP infants were stratified by BW (<750 g, 750-999 g, 1000-1249 g, 1250-1500 g, and >1500 g) and GA (<27 weeks, 27-31 weeks, and >32 weeks) ( Table 1 and Table 2 ). Comparing ROP infants to non-ROP infants, a significantly higher rate of births at lower BW and earlier GA were noted. Micro-premature infants (<750 g BW) comprised 44.6% of all infants with ROP. Conversely, a significantly lower proportion of ROP infants were born at larger BW (1.1% for >1500 g BW). Evaluation of the stratification of GA in ROP are also presented in Table 3 . Of the ROP infants, a higher proportion were born at younger GA (60.8% for GA <27 weeks versus 2.9% for GA >32 weeks) compared to the non-ROP cohort (18.8% for GA <27 weeks versus 24.1% for GA >32 weeks). In multivariable logistic regression including independent variables of BW, GA, TVL, and fundus pigmentation, both BW and GA were associated with increased association with ROP incidence (odds ratio [OR] = 0.998, P < .001 for BW, and OR = 0.54, P < .001 for GA).



Table 2

Characteristics of All Study Patients.



















































































Total no. of examinations 25,567
Total no. of patients 9124
No. of included patients 7436
Sex, no. of male patients/total, % 714/1348 53.0%
Outborn, n, % 312 4.0%
Multiple gestation, n, % 1322 17.8%
Birthweight
Mean, SD, g 1101 407.5
Proportion, n, %
<750 g 1692 23.5%
751-1000 g 1439 20.0%
1001-1250 g 1449 20.1%
1251-1500 g 1411 19.6%
>1500g 1,206 16.8%
Gestational age
Mean, SD, wk 28.4 3.1
Proportion, n, %
<27 wk 2,231 31.0%
27-32 wk 3,676 51.1%
>32 wk 1,291 17.9%


Table 3

Characteristics of All Patients Diagnosed With ROP.


















































































































Characteristic P Values
No. of patients with ROP 2198.0
ROP incidence 29.6%
Sex, no. of male patients/total, % 183/353 51.8%
Multiple gestation, n, % 354 16.1% .015 a
ROP severity
Zone, mean, SD 2.0 0.37
Stage, mean, SD 1.8 0.75
Birthweight
Mean, SD, g 822.9 407.3 <.0001 b
Proportion, n, %
<750 g 935 44.6% <.0001 a
751-1000 g 725 34.6%
1001-1250 g 314 15.0%
1251-1500 g 101 4.8%
>1500 g 23 1.1%
Gestational age
Mean, SD, wk 26.3 2.3 <.0001 b
Proportion, n, %
<27 wk 1275 60.8% <.0001 a
27-32 wk 763 36.4%
>32 wk 60 2.9%

ROP = retinopathy of prematurity.

a χ 2 Test, all P values comparing patients with ROP versus those without ROP.


b t Test, all P values comparing patients with ROP versus those without ROP.



evolution of BirthWeight and Gestational Age


For all infants enrolled and screened over a 30-year period, mean BW increased each decade cohort (1990-1999, 2000-2009, and 2010-2019), from 1076.3 g to 1091.0 g to 1150.4 g, respectively (Figure 4) . Mean GA for all infants also increased across decade cohorts, from 28.3 weeks in the first 2 decades to 28.6 weeks in the last decade ( Table 4 ). For infants diagnosed with ROP, mean BW decreased with each decade (858.0 g to 815.1 g, to 780.7 g, respectively). Similarly, mean GA also decreased (26.7 weeks to 26.3 weeks to 25.8 weeks, respectively) ( Table 4 ).




Figure 4


Change over time of BW and GA from 1990 to 2019, demonstrating a gradual increase in both BW and GA over 30 years. BW = birthweight; GA = gestational age.


Table 4

Change in Patient Characteristics Over Time.































































































































































































































































































































































































































Characteristic 1990-1999 2000-2009 2010-2019 P Value
All patients
Total no. of patients 2626 2929 1881
Multiple gestation, n, % 401 15% 470 16% 451 24% <.001 a
Birthweight, mean, g 1076.3 1091.0 1150.4 <.001 b
Proportion, n, %
< 750 g 527 21% 730 26% 435 23%
750-999 g 555 22% 551 19% 333 18%
1000-1249 g 619 25% 514 18% 316 17%
1250-1500 g 469 19% 567 20% 375 20%
>1500 g 317 13% 485 17% 404 22%
GA, mean, wk 28.3 28.3 28.6 <.001 b
Proportion, n, %
<27 wk 756 30% 912 32% 563 30%
27-32 wk 1317 53% 1401 49% 958 51%
>32 wk 415 17% 522 18% 354 19%
ROP patients
No. of patients, % of total 831 32% 894 31% 473 25% <.001 a
Multiple gestation, n, % 123 15% 139 16% 92 19% .075 a
Birthweight, mean, g 858.0 815.1 780.7 <.001 b
Proportion, n, %
<750 g 267 35% 411 47% 257 55%
750-999 g 304 40% 283 33% 138 29%
1000-1249 g 143 19% 123 14% 48 10%
1250-1500 g 38 5.0% 40 4.6% 23 4.9%
>1500 g 6 0.8% 12 1.4% 5 1.1%
GA, mean, wk 26.7 26.3 25.8 <.001 b
Proportion, n, %
<27 wk 408 54% 529 61% 338 72%
27-32 wk 310 41% 325 37% 128 27%
>32 wk 39 5.2% 16 1.8% 5 1.1%
Non-ROP patients
No. of patients, % of total 1795 68% 2035 69% 1408 75%
Multiple gestation, n, % 278 15% 331 16% 359 25% <.001 a
Birthweight, mean, g 1275.5 1212.2 1172.0
Proportion, n, %
<750 g 260 15% 319 16% 178 13%
750-999 g 251 15% 268 14% 195 14%
1000-1249 g 476 28% 391 20% 268 19%
1250-1500 g 431 25% 527 27% 352 25%
>1500 g 311 18% 473 24% 399 29%
GA, mean, wk 29.6 29.2 29.0
Proportion, n, %
<27 wk 348 20% 383 19% 225 16%
27-32 wk 1007 58% 1076 55% 830 59%
>32 wk 376 22% 506 26% 349 25%

BW = birthweight, GA = gestational age, ROP = retinopathy of prematurity.

a χ 2 Analysis comparing change across decades.


b Analysis of variance comparing change across time.



In the non-ROP infant cohort, the proportion born at lower BW remained stable over time, whereas the proportion of infants born at higher BW increased across the 30-year period ( Table 4 ). However, over the same 30-year period, infants with ROP born at lower BW increased over time. Within each decade, rates of multiparous births showed a continuous increase.


Plus Disease


Plus disease was identified in 416 (18.9%) ROP infants ( Table 5 ). The mean BW and GA of this group were 670.2 g and 24.9 weeks, respectively. Both BW and GA were significantly reduced among infants with plus disease ( P <.001) compared to all ROP infants. In addition, a higher proportion of infants in the plus disease cohort were born at a BW <750 g (75.8%) and GA <27 weeks (87.4%) compared with the overall ROP cohort (44.6% with BW <750 g and 60.8% GA <27 weeks). A total of 935 infants weighing <750 g BW were diagnosed with ROP, and 298 of those infants were found to have plus disease (31.8%).



Table 5

Characteristics of Patients Diagnosed With Plus Disease

























































































Characteristic P Value
No. of patients, % of ROP patients 416 18.9%
Multiple gestation, n, % 75 18.0% .236
Birthweight
Mean, SD, g 670.2 160.4 <.001 a
Proportion, n, %
<750 g 298 75.8% <.001 b
751-1000 g 76 19.3%
1001-1250 g 18 4.6%
1251-1500 g 0.0%
>1500 g 1 0.3%
Gestational age
Mean, SD, wk 24.9 1.6 <.001 a
Proportion, n, %
<27 wk 346 87.4% <.001 c
27-32 wk 47 11.9%
>32 wk 3 0.8%

a t -Test, birthweight and gestational age comparison between patients with versus without diagnosis of plus disease.


b χ 2 , Incidence of plus disease in ROP infants with birthweight <750 g versus >750 g.


c χ 2 , Incidence of plus disease in ROP infants with gestational age <27 wk versus >27 wk.



Plus disease evaluated with trend analysis over time is presented in Table 6 . The incidence of plus disease is seen to rise from the 1990s to the 2000s but has stabilized in the last decade. Similar to all infants with ROP, those with plus disease have shown a gradual trend toward lower BW ( P = .005 for BW over time) and earlier GA ( P < .001 for GA over time), with an increasing percentage of infants <750 g BW and <27 weeks GA. Significantly, a higher percentage of infants with plus disease were diagnosed with zone I ROP (48%), showing an increasing trend into the most recent decade ( P < .001).



Table 6

Characteristics Over Time for ROP Patients With Plus Disease.



































































































































































Characteristic 1990-1999 2000-2009 2010-2019 P Value
Plus disease
No., % of ROP patients 98 12% 241 27% 77 16% <.001 a
Birthweight, mean, SD, g 721.9 193.6 674.0 152.9 604.5 118.0
Proportion, n, %
< 750 g 53 65% 175 74% 70 91% .005 a
750-999 g 21 26% 48 20% 7 9.1%
1000-1249 g 6 7.4% 12 5% 0 0%
1250-1500 g 1 1.2% 0 0% 0 0%
Gestational age, mean, SD, wk 25.4 2.2 24.9 1.5 24.4 1.1
Proportion, n, %
<27 wk 65 78% 205 87% 76 99% <.001 b
27-32 wk 15 18% 31 13% 1 1.3%
>32 wk 3 3.6% 0 0% 0 0%
Multiple gestation, n, % 17 17% 39 16% 19 25% .236 a
Severity
% Zone 1 disease 4 4% 41 17% 37 48% <.001 a
% Stage 3+ disease 71 72% 181 75% 27 35% <.001 a

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