Retinopathy of prematurity in larger preterm infants

Severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) usually occurs in preterm infants with birthweight < 1500 g or gestational age < 31 weeks. However, some exceptions occur in larger preterm infants. In southern Taiwan, six larger preterm infants with gestational age older than 31 weeks and birthweight > 1500 g had stage III ROP in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung (Taiwan, Republic of China). All six infants were male and had received oxygen supplementation during hospitalization. Only one infant had received previous surgery and frequent packed red blood cell transfusions. Three infants received laser photocoagulation or cryotherapy, and all infants have good outcomes regardless of whether they received treatment. This report provides convincing evidence for expanding the screening criteria in our nursery and emphasizes the importance of assessing the risk of ROP for larger preterm infants.