Alternative methods for the screening of retinopathy of prematurity: Binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy vs wide-field digital retinal imaging

Abstract

PurposeTo compare the diagnostic efficacy of wide-field digital retinal imaging (WFDRI) with binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (BIO) for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening.MethodsPremature infants admitted for ROP screening were included in this prospective, randomized and double-blind comparative study. They were examined by using BIO and WFDRI.ResultsA total of 58 infants were enrolled in the study. The sensitivities of WFDRI in detecting any stage of ROP, treatment-requiring ROP and plus disease were 58.6, 100, and 100% respectively, with a specificity of 100% for all. The proportional agreement between WFDRI and BIO was 0.903 for detection of any stage of ROP, 1.0 for treatment-requiring ROP, and 1.0 for plus disease.ConclusionThe sensitivity and specificity of WFDRI was excellent for the diagnosis of severe and treatment-requiring ROP. However, BIO was superior in mild ROP particularly for the ones in retinal periphery. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved.