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PhotoROP study finds telemedicine effective for detecting ROP
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NEW ORLEANS — Remote digital screening was effective in detecting retinopathy of prematurity, resulting in diagnosis of the disease earlier than with traditional methods, according to Antonio Capone Jr., MD.
“Clinically significant ROP was diagnosed 1 to 2 weeks earlier than with indirect ophthalmoscopy,” Dr. Capone told attendees of the retina subspecialty day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.
The findings of the PhotoROP Study could benefit the ophthalmic community by providing an effective method of screening quickly for the early stages of ROP, Dr. Capone said. Early detection could help to reduce the risk of malpractice lawsuits regarding ophthalmologists’ diagnosis of ROP, he said.
He described the study, in which 57 premature infants with a birthweight of 440 g to 1675 g were screened for ROP weekly for 5 weeks using digital photography and indirect ophthalmoscopy. The digital images were sent to a central reading center for interpretation.
Ninety-three percent of the images were deemed interpretable. From the digital images, 33% of patients were diagnosed with clinically significant ROP.
Noting the success of the study, Dr. Capone said that a national standardized protocol for telemedicine should be instituted for the diagnosis of ROP.