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Risk of development of treated retinopathy of prematurity in very low birth weight infants

Journal of Perinatology volume 39, pages 1562–1568 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Objective

Quantify the risk of treatment for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among infants meeting current U.S. screening guidelines.

Study design

Among infants ≤1500 g birth weight or ≤30 weeks gestation screened for ROP from 2006–2015, we developed a risk prediction model to identify infants treated for ROP. We applied our model to a separate infant cohort discharged in 2016.

Result

Seventy-five thousand eight hundred and twenty one infants met inclusion criteria; 2306 (3%) were treated for ROP. Infants with several risk factor combinations (no ventilator support or oxygen on postnatal day 28, no history of necrotizing enterocolitis, and no intraventricular hemorrhage) were at low risk of ROP. Applied to 6127 infants discharged in 2016, our model had 97.9% sensitivity, 63.3% specificity, positive predictive value of 4.0%, and negative predictive value of 99.9%.

Conclusion

Large numbers of infants at low risk of developing ROP are required to undergo screening. Refining current ROP guidelines may reduce unnecessary examinations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC, USA

    Samantha Gonski

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Susan R. Hupp

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    C. Michael Cotten, Kevin Watt, Christoph P. Hornik, Karan Kumar, P. Brian Smith & Rachel G. Greenberg

  4. Pediatrix-Obstetrix Center for Research and Education, Sunrise, FL, USA

    Reese H. Clark

  5. School of Medicine, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Matthew Laughon

  6. Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC, USA

    Kevin Watt, Christoph P. Hornik, P. Brian Smith & Rachel G. Greenberg

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  1. Samantha Gonski
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  2. Susan R. Hupp
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Correspondence to Rachel G. Greenberg.

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Gonski, S., Hupp, S.R., Cotten, C.M. et al. Risk of development of treated retinopathy of prematurity in very low birth weight infants. J Perinatol 39, 1562–1568 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-019-0487-6

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