Skip to main content
PMC home page
The British Journal of Ophthalmology logoLink to The British Journal of Ophthalmology
. 1986 Apr;70(4):269–276. doi: 10.1136/bjo.70.4.269

Cryotherapy for retinopathy of prematurity: timing of intervention.

N W Hindle
PMCID: PMC1040995  PMID: 3754457

Abstract

This is a retrospective study of the results of cryotherapy for retinopathy of prematurity in 30 eyes of 17 patients from November 1976 to March 1983. The report is in the language of the international classification of retinopathy of prematurity. Ten eyes were treated at stage 4 disease, seven eyes at severe or late stage 3 'plus' disease, and 13 eyes at moderate or mid-stage 3 'plus' disease. All eyes had the cryotherapy applied to the ridge and the extraretinal fibrovascular proliferation contiguous with the ridge, some with additional treatment of the avascular retina. The results show that this method of treatment must be applied before severe stage 3 'plus' disease is established in order to prevent visual disability and minimise retrolental fibroplasia. The treatment of the selected cases of progressive moderate stage 3 'plus' disease accomplished those objectives.

Full text

PDF
274

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ben-Sira I., Nissenkorn I., Grunwald E., Yassur Y. Treatment of acute retrolental fibroplasia by cryopexy. Br J Ophthalmol. 1980 Oct;64(10):758–762. doi: 10.1136/bjo.64.10.758. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bert M. D., Friedman M. W., Ballard R. Combined cryosurgery and scleral buckling in acute proliferative retrolental fibroplasia. J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 1981 May-Jun;18(3):9–12. doi: 10.3928/0191-3913-19810501-04. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Finer N. N., Schindler R. F., Grant G., Hill G. B., Peters K. Effect of intramuscular vitamin E on frequency and severity of retrolental fibroplasia. A controlled trial. Lancet. 1982 May 15;1(8281):1087–1091. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)92276-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Harris G. S., McCormick A. Q. The prophylactic treatment of retrolental fibroplasia. Mod Probl Ophthalmol. 1977;18:364–367. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hindle N. W. Cryotherapy for retinopathy of prematurity to prevent retrolental fibroplasia. Can J Ophthalmol. 1982 Oct;17(5):207–212. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hindle N. W. International classification of retrolental fibroplasia: a proposal. Can J Ophthalmol. 1982 Jun;17(3):107–109. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hindle N. W., Leyton J. Prevention of cicatricial retrolental fibroplasia by cryotherapy. Can J Ophthalmol. 1978 Oct;13(4):277–282. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hindle N. W. The Calgary Code: a numerical and alphabetical nosography of retrolental fibroplasia. Can J Ophthalmol. 1982 Jun;17(3):110–112. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hittner H. M., Kretzer F. L. Vitamin E and retrolental fibroplasia: ultrastructural mechanism of clinical efficacy. Ciba Found Symp. 1983;101:165–185. doi: 10.1002/9780470720820.ch11. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Johnson L., Schaffer D., Quinn G., Goldstein D., Mathis M. J., Otis C., Boggs T. R., Jr Vitamin E supplementation and the retinopathy of prematurity. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1982;393:473–495. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1982.tb31285.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Keith C. G. Visual outcome and effect of treatment in stage III developing retrolental fibroplasia. Br J Ophthalmol. 1982 Jul;66(7):446–449. doi: 10.1136/bjo.66.7.446. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kingham J. D. Acute retrolental fibroplasia. II. Treatment by cryosurgery. Arch Ophthalmol. 1978 Nov;96(11):2049–2053. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1978.03910060437008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. McCormick A. Q. Retinopathy of prematurity. Curr Probl Pediatr. 1977 Sep;7(11):1–28. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. McPherson A. R., Hittner H. M., Lemos R. Retinal detachment in young premature infants with acute retrolental fibroplasia. Thirty-two new cases. Ophthalmology. 1982 Oct;89(10):1160–1169. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(82)34667-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. McPherson A., Hittner H. M. Scleral buckling in 2 1/2- to 11-month-old premature infants with retinal detachment associated with acute retrolental fibroplasia. Ophthalmology. 1979 May;86(5):819–836. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(79)35436-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mousel D. K., Hoyt C. S. Cryotherapy for retinopathy of prematurity. Ophthalmology. 1980 Nov;87(11):1121–1127. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(80)35121-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. OWENS W. C. Clinical course. Am J Ophthalmol. 1955 Aug;40(2):159–162. doi: 10.1016/0002-9394(55)91615-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Phelps D. L. Retinopathy of prematurity: an estimate of vision loss in the United States--1979. Pediatrics. 1981 Jun;67(6):924–925. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Puklin J. E., Simon R. M., Ehrenkranz R. A. Influence on retrolental fibroplasia of intramuscular vitamin E administration during respiratory distress syndrome. Ophthalmology. 1982 Feb;89(2):96–103. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(82)34830-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Tasman W. The natural history of active retinopathy of prematurity. Ophthalmology. 1984 Dec;91(12):1499–1503. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(84)34120-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The British Journal of Ophthalmology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES