SD-OCT confirms subclinical macular findings in infants screened for ROP

In this prospective study, handheld spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) showed persistence of inner retinal layers and a prevalence of CME in premature infants screened for ROP.

The authors used handheld SD-OCT to evaluate subclinical macular findings of 49 infants born prematurely and screened for ROP at a tertiary care center. A total of 241 of the images from 46 patients were considered usable, defined as having scans passing through the fovea with clearly identifiable retinal layers.

As shown in previous studies, persistence of one or more inner retinal layers was common, occurring in 43 (93 percent) of these patients. The persistence of inner retinal layers was not associated with ROP severity. 

Also consistent with previous reports, subclinical CME was present in a significant number (54 percent) of patients. The presence of CME also was not associated with the stage of ROP or presence of plus disease. This suggests that there may be other causes, including neurohumoral factors, concurrent systemic diseases or laser therapy.

They conclude that hand-held SD-OCT imaging is a viable technique for evaluating subclinical macular findings in premature infants. However, larger datasets are needed from multiple centers to develop a better understanding of normal development, subclinical pathology and how CME affects vision.