RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Functional analysis and associated factors of the peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer in former preterm and full-term infants
JF British Journal of Ophthalmology
JO Br J Ophthalmol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
SP 1405
OP 1411
DO 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2016-309622
VO 101
IS 10
A1 Achim Fieß
A1 Luka Christian
A1 Johannes Janz
A1 Ruth Kölb-Keerl
A1 Markus Knuf
A1 Bernd Kirchhof
A1 Philipp S Muether
A1 Jacqueline Bauer
A1 Prematurity Eye Study Group
YR 2017
UL http://bjo.bmj.com/content/101/10/1405.abstract
AB Purpose The aim of the study was to investigate peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) in former preterm infants and full-term neonates using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).Methods The prospective, controlled, cross-sectional, hospital-based study in a tertiary centre with maximum care examined 503 infants with a former gestational age (GA) of ≥37 and ≤32 weeks now aged between 4 and 10 years. In total, we analysed 432 participants with successful circular peripapillary RNFLT OCT measurements. Main outcome measures were RNFLT correlations to GA, birth weight, occurrence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), perinatal adverse events as well as functional correlation.Results Global RNFLT was thinner in infants with GA ≤28 weeks compared with infants with GA between 29 and 32 weeks (p=0.024), and to full-term neonates (p=0.007) independent of the occurrence of ROP. Multivariable analysis revealed that RNFLT was positively associated with higher birth weight and GA. Furthermore, a decrease of RNFLT was related to reduced visual function in all peripapillary sectors.Conclusions The main factors for retinal nerve fibre layer thinning are low birth weight and low GA. In addition, decreased RNFLT was associated with reduced visual function. This demonstrates that preterm infants are at high risk for peripapillary RNFL damage associated with reduced visual function.