Treatments
ROP develops from the center outward, and is described in stages and zones. Imagine the eye as a target, with the bullseye in the center. The zones refer to the distance away from the center, and the stages refer to how far the disease has progressed. Below is a cartoon of ROP that is in Zone 2, in both eyes.
The AAP, in conjunction with the American Academy of Ophthalmology, has established guidelines for examination and treatment of ROP in premature babies, Screening Examination of Premature Infants for Retinopathy of Prematurity. PEDIATRICS, Vol. 117 No. 2 February 1, 2006 pp. 572 -576 (doi: 10.1542/peds.2005-2749) can be viewed in full via the internet (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/117/2/572.full). Treatment consists of laser surgery to destroy the abnormally developing blood vessels, and is usually done in the NICU. Recently, a drug being used successfully in the treatment of colon and other cancers in adults, called Avastin®, has been undergoing experimental trials in some NICUs as treatment for ROP. The drug is injected into the blood vessels and stops their development. While the treatment looks promising for ROP, the long-term and systemic effects of this powerful drug on other parts of a developing premature baby’s body have yet to be fully understood.
NICU Blog
- Study: Every Eight Minutes A Nursery Product Sends A Child To The ER
- $1M Grant Approved To Study Plastic Effects On Preemies
- VIDEO: 11-Month-Old Conjoined Twins Separated After 22-Hour Surgery
- NICU Real Life: Ian's Story
- 5 Sets Of Twins Born In Different Years
- Must Watch: Micro-Preemie Thrives
- Benefits of Kangaroo Care
- Preemies Get Dressed Up As Gifts For Holidays
- 5 Ways To Survive The Holidays In The NICU
- Prayer That Helped A Mom Grieve For Stillborn
- 86-Year-Old Man Picks Up Knitting For Preemies
- What food can my baby have this Thanksgiving?
- NICU Real Life: Ethan's Story
- 15 Celebrities Who Had Preemies
- 4 Things Every Baby Must Be Doing In Order To Leave the NICU
- Breastfeeding
- Prevention of meningococcal infection in the United States: Current recommendations and future considerations
- Crib Bumpers Continue To Cause Infant Deaths: A Need For A New Preventive Approach
- Effect Of Zinc Supplementation On Early Outcome Of Neonatal Sepsis - A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Does High Protein Intake During First Week of Life Improve Growth And Neurodevelopmental Outcome at 18 Months Corrected Age In Extremely Preterm Infants?
- Cerebral Palsy Among Children Born Moderately And Late Preterm
- World Prematurity Day, November 17th 2015
- Small Baby Unit Improves Quality And Outcomes In Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants
- Effect Of Skin-To-Skin Holding On Stress In Mothers Of Late-Preterm Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Premature Infants Born At Less Than 25 Weeks Of Gestation May Be Compromised By Currently Recommended Resuscitation Techniques
- Shorter Women Have Shorter Pregnancies
- The Microbiome Of A Woman's Reproductive Tract May Predict Preterm Birth
- MDLinx Pediatrics
- How Old is My Baby
- World Prematurity Day, November 17th
- How to Lose the Baby Weight
- Resources for Parents who Have Little Angels
- Resources for NICU Information
- Will My Baby Live?
- How Do I Get Through This?
- Who Is Taking Care Of My Baby?
- ROP
- What Can I Do To Help My Baby?
- Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
- Breastfeeding
- NICU Dads
- Hyperbilirubinemia
- Kernicterus