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This cross-sectional study examined ocular biometric parameters in 297 preterm infants divided into three groups: those with ROP requiring intravitreal injection, those with spontaneously regressing ROP, and those without ROP, measured at postmenstrual ages of 0, 3, and 6 months. Infants with ROP showed significantly shallower anterior chamber depth (ACD) and greater lens thickness (LT) compared to non-ROP infants across all time points, while axial length and vitreous length increased in all groups over time. Notably, lens thickness remained stable in ROP infants regardless of treatment type, whereas it increased in non-ROP infants, and no significant biometric differences were found between the treated and spontaneously regressing ROP subgroups.
Why it matters
These findings suggest that ROP is associated with distinct patterns of anterior segment development in early infancy, which could help refine screening protocols and improve understanding of the long-term ocular structural consequences of prematurity, including risk for refractive errors and glaucoma.
⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Abstract Purpose:Comparison of ocular parameters (ACD, AL, LT, VL, CCT, ASD, LC, LT/ACD) in preterm infants with retinopathy after treatment, those with spontaneous regression, and those without retinopathy, at postmenstrual (ages of 0 (40 weeks), 3 , and 6 months. Methods: Cross-sectional study. This research involved 297 premature infants assigned to three groups based on fundus results and intravitreal injection therapy: an ROP post-injection group, an ROP spontaneous regression group, and a non-ROP group. Axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), l e n s t h i c kn e s s (LT), and vitreous length (VL) were assessed in all three groups using a corneal thickness meter at po st menstrual age s (PMA) of 0, 3, and 6 months. Derived parameters–ASD ((ACD + LT), LC ((ACD + LT/2), and LT/ACD–were subsequently calculated. A one-way ANOVA analysis revealed statistically significant differences in these ocular parameters among the groups (P < 0.05). Results: Significant differences e m e r g e d in anterior chamber depth (ACD) and l e n st h i c k n e s s ( LT) between the ROP post-injection group, ROP spontaneous regression group, and non-ROP group at 0, 3, and 6 (months postmenstrual age (PMA). At 0 months PMA: ACD(F=4.33, P=0.014), LT (F=5.45, P=0.005). At 3 months PMA: ACD (F=17.20, P<0.01), LT(F=15.23, P<0.01). At 6 months PMA: ACD (F=17.89, P<0.01), LT (F=17.21, P<0.01). Central corneal thickness (CCT) also differed significantly among the three groups at 0 months PMA(P <0 .0 1 ). All ocular parameters correlated significantly with Postmenstrual Age, with CCT and LT showing a negative correlation. Before 6 months PMA, axial length (AL) and vitreous length (VL) increased significantly, and ACD deepened significantly across all groups (P <0 .05 ). However , LT exhibited no significant change within the ROP group (post-injection group P=0.4; spontaneous regression group P=0 .33). No significant differences existed in any ocular parameters between the ROP post-injection group and the ROP spontaneous regression group (P>0.05). Conclusions: Before 6 months of postmenstrual age (PMA), axial length (AL), vitreous length (VL), and anterior chamber depth (ACD) were increased between the ROP group and non-ROP group; lens thickness (LT) remained unchanged in the ROP group but increased in the non-ROP group. The injection group and the spontaneous regression group showed no significant differences. The primary factors influencing anterior segment development were birth weight (BW), gestational age (GA), and postmenstrual age (PMA).