Higher prolactin and vasoinhibin serum levels associated with incidence and progression of retinopathy of prematurity.

BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a potentially blinding, retinal neovascular disease. Systemic prolactin accesses the retina to regulate blood vessels. Prolactin is proangiogenic and can be cleaved to antiangiogenic vasoinhibins. We investigated whether circulating prolactin and vasoinhibins associate with incidence and progression of ROP. METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal, case-control study covering postnatal weeks 1 to 9 measured serum prolactin, vasoinhibins, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) weekly in 90 premature infants diagnosed as ROP or control. RESULTS: Prolactin levels were higher in ROP than in control patients before (106.2 ± 11.3 (SEM) vs. 64.7 ± 4.9 ng/ml, postnatal week 1) and during (120.6 ± 10 vs. 84.7 ± 7.5ng/ml, postnatal week 5) ROP diagnosis. Prolactin, but not gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, sepsis, or ventilation time, correlated with ROP. The relative risk (RR) of developing ROP increased if Prolactin (PRL) levels were higher than thresholds of 80 ng/ml (RR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.06-2.28), 100 ng/ml (RR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.14-2.34), or 120 ng/ml (RR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.41-2.68). Vasoinhibin levels were 39.7% higher (95% CI: 4.5-77.5) in the circulation of ROP than in control patients at postnatal week 1 and similar thereafter, whereas VEGF serum levels were always similar. CONCLUSION: High serum prolactin and vasoinhibin levels predict and may impact ROP progression.

Case series of infants presenting with end stage retinopathy of prematurity to two tertiary eye care facilities in Mexico: underlying reasons for late presentation.

To describe the characteristics of infants with bilateral Stage 4b or 5 ROP (i.e. with subtotal or total retinal detachment) who presented to eye departments in two major cities in Mexico, to identify reasons why they may have become blind in order to recommend how programs could be improved. A large case-series of infants with Stage 4b or 5 ROP in both eyes confirmed by ultrasound who attended the ROP Clinic, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara from September 2010 to November 2012, and the Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez from December 2011 to December 2012 were identified from the diagnostic databases of each hospital. Mothers of infants in Guadalajara had a telephone interview. 89/94 eligible infants were included in the study, 48 in Guadalajara and 41 in Mexico City. Cases came from 22 of the 32 states in Mexico. Half of the infants attending Guadalajara 24/48 (50 %) had been cared for in NICUs without ROP screening programs and were not examined. Among the 24 infants cared for in NICUs with ROP programs, 7/24 (29.1 %) mothers reported that their infant had not been examined while in the NICU, and a further 9/24 (37.5 %) were either not referred for screening after discharge or they did not attend. Two infants had failed laser treatment. Strategies and resources to prevent end stage ROP have not been firmly established in Mexico. There is an urgent need to expand the coverage and quality of ROP programs, to ensure that existing screening guidelines are better adhered to, and to improve communication with parents.

Early retinopathy of prematurity findings identified with fluorescein angiography.

BACKGROUND: Fluorescein angiography has been fundamental for the understanding and description of vascular disorders affecting the retina and choroid. The aim of this report is to assess the early anatomic retinal changes visible with angiography, and their relation with the clinical findings of retinopathy of prematurity. METHODS: Ten babies were included in the study, the initial examination being at 2 weeks after birth. Two cycles of tropicamide 0.8 % and phenylephrine 5 % eye drops were instilled into both eyes 30 min before examination. A RetCam II was used to obtain digital retinal images, after instilling topical anesthesia (tetracain 0.5 %) and using a contact gel. Fluorescein angiography was undertaken following administration of an intravenous bolus of 0.1 ml/kg saline fluorescein 10 % followed by a 3.0-ml isotonic saline flush, with the assistance of the neonatologist; the right and left eyes were imaged. RESULTS: We observed that some of the vascular abnormalities described for threshold disease by Lepore were already present at the second week of life, preceding the diagnosis of threshold disease by 3-4 weeks in two cases. The main findings in our cases were arterio-venous shunts, surrounded by areas of capillary non-perfusion, rosary-bead-like hyper-fluorescence, tortuosity and leakage from distal arterioles, none of which were detectable in the digital fundus pictures. CONCLUSIONS: Early ROP screening at the NICU that includes FA is a safe procedure, and gives the examiner details of vascular changes that are not detectable by indirect ophthalmoscopy, which could predict the progression to threshold disease, and provide an alert about the need of therapeutic interventions.