Favorable results seen for ROP patients treated with diode laser photocoagulation

Diode laser photocoagulation appears effective for treating infants with retinopathy of prematurity, according to a chart review by researchers in Israel.

"Neonates of lower gestational age and birth weight require earlier and more aggressive laser treatment and may have a higher refractive error," the study authors said.

Ruth Axer-Siegel, MD, and colleagues assessed the anatomical and refractive outcomes of infrared diode laser photocoagulation in 194 eyes of 100 infants with threshold retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) treated at a tertiary center between Dec. 1, 1996, and Dec. 31, 2004. Birth weight for these infants averaged 833.9 g, and mean gestational age averaged 26 weeks.

A total of 62% of infants had zone 1 or posterior zone 2 ROP, the authors noted.

Each eye received an average of 1,740 laser applications, and 21% of eyes received an additional one to two rows posterior to the ridge. In addition, all infants treated after the December 2003 cutoff date of the Early Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity study underwent an average of 2,286 laser applications.

At 33.6 months' average follow-up, anatomical results of laser treatment were favorable for 179 eyes (92.3%), the authors noted.

The investigators observed partial or total retinal detachment in 2.5% of patients who received posterior-to-the-ridge laser treatment and 3.8% of patients treated only on the avascular retina, according to the study.

Refractive data were available for 134 eyes, of which 55.2% had myopia of 5 D or greater.

Subsequently, the investigators found strabismus in 21 (28.8%) of the 73 infants who were tested.

"Gestational age was correlated with corrected age at treatment, zone of ROP, number of laser applications and spherical equivalent," the authors said.

Snellen visual acuity of 6/12 or more occurred in 17 of 24 patients who complied with testing, according to the study, published in the June issue of Retina.