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Retinopathy of prematurity: Prevalence and treatment over a 20 year period at Pennsylvania Hospital

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Abstract

This paper presents the results of a 20 year survey of ROP among ⩽ 2000 g BW infants cared for at Pennsylvania Hospital. It relates changes in perinatal care and nutrition, survival rates, and serial serum E levels with incidence and severity of ROP. It includes our protocol for monitoring E nutrition so as to optimize its effectiveness at physiologic serum levels for prophylaxis for ROP. Also presented are the promising results of our experience with vitamin E at pharmacologic serum levels as a treatment for severe ROP (defined as in the Cryo ROP Trial). These indicate the need for a multicenter trial to assess the effect of pharmacologic Vitamin E therapy as an alternative or supplement to therapy of severe ROP with laser or cryo surgery.

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Abbreviations

BW:

birth weight

GA:

gestational age

ROP:

retinopathy of prematurity

ERNV:

extraretinal neovascularization

CIC:

cicatricial

CRYO-ROP Trial:

Multicenter trial of cryotherapy for ROP

VLBW:

very low birth weight

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 19107, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Lois H. Johnson, Graham E. Quinn, Soraya Abbasi & Frank W. Bowen

  2. The Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 19107, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Graham E. Quinn

Authors
  1. Lois H. Johnson
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  2. Graham E. Quinn
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  3. Soraya Abbasi
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  4. Frank W. Bowen
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Additional information

Research support was provided by Hoffmann LaRoche Inc, Nutley N.J., USA and by Pennsylvania Hospital Research Support Fund.

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Johnson, L.H., Quinn, G.E., Abbasi, S. et al. Retinopathy of prematurity: Prevalence and treatment over a 20 year period at Pennsylvania Hospital. Doc Ophthalmol 74, 213–222 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02482611

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02482611

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