Abstract
Objective Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the primary cause of visual impairment in premature
infants. Our objective was to study the relationship between ROP and intraventricular
hemorrhage (IVH) in the premature infant.
Methods This study was a retrospective chart review of very low birthweight infants of 1,500 g
or less admitted to Kings County Hospital Center's neonatal intensive care unit who
were screened for ROP over a 6-year period.
Results Of 335 infants screened for ROP, 85 infants were identified to have ROP. Of these,
50 (56%) infants had stage 1 ROP, 25 (29%) had stage 2 ROP, 7 (8%) had stage 3 ROP,
and 3 (4%) had stage 4 ROP. The incidence of IVH in our population was 14%. Multiple
logistic regression demonstrated a significant association between ROP and gestational
age (p = 0.001). There was no significant association between ROP stage and IVH grade. There
was also no significant association between birthweight, ethnicity, or 5-minute Apgar
score.
Conclusions Our data demonstrated no association between IVH and severity of ROP. There was a
statistically significant association between ROP and gestational age. We speculate
that these data may be a reflection of improvement in neonatal care, with a declining
incidence of IVH as well as increased ROP screening efforts.
Keywords
intraventricular hemorrhage - retinopathy of prematurity - premature
