Vascular Abnormalities in Aggressive Posterior Retinopathy of Prematurity Detected by Fluorescein Angiography
Received 11 August 2008; received in revised form 26 January 2009; accepted 26 February 2009. published online 01 June 2009.
Purpose
To evaluate fluorescein angiography (FA) in eyes with aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity (AP-ROP).
Design
Retrospective, nonrandomized case series.
Participants
Three patients (6 eyes) with AP-ROP.
Methods
Three patients (6 eyes) diagnosed with AP-ROP during ROP screening between July 2007 and July 2008 were included in this study. Fundus photographs and FA were obtained before and after laser and surgical treatment using a wide-field digital pediatric imaging system.
Main Outcome Measures
Fluorescein angiography and fundus photographs.
Results
At the initial stage of AP-ROP, FA showed vascular abnormalities, including capillary nonperfusion throughout the vascularized retina, shunting in the vascularized retina, a circumferential demarcation line, and limited vessel development, which was difficult to identify only by ophthalmoscopy. After treatment, FA showed poorly developed retinal vessels, including 4 small major vessels without an arcade pattern, small macular vessels, an inhomogeneous capillary bed, and absence of a capillary-free zone in the fovea.
Conclusions
Capillary bed loss throughout the vascularized posterior retina is characteristic of AP-ROP and may exacerbate retinopathy.
Financial Disclosure(s)
The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article.
Available online: May 30, 2009.
1Department of Ophthalmology, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
2Department of Ophthalmology, Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Correspondence: Noriyuki Azuma, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, National Center for Child Health and Development, 2-10-1, Okura, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 157-8535, Japan
Manuscript no. 2008-963.
Tadashi Yokoi and Miina Hiraoka contributed equally to this article as first authors.
Financial Disclosure(s): The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article.
ABSTRACT