gms | German Medical Science

For many years the CRYO-ROP study result was the international gold standard for the organization of ROP screening and therapy in paediatric units with a highly developed standard of perinatal care of premature babies. The publication of the ETROP study (Early treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity) has led to a recommended expansion of the therapy indication including children with prethreshold disease when the following criteria are met: 1. plus-disease or stage 3 in zone I, 2. stage 2+ or 3+ in zone II. When comparing the recently published guidelines for the screening and therapy of ROP in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany it becomes obvious that different interpretations of the ETROP results were implemented in the construction of guidelines. One of the most striking differences in the published recommendations is the fact that the recently published German guidelines do not adhere to the concept of expanded indication for active intervention on children with zone II retinopathy at stage 2+ or 3+. The reason for a different view is obviously a variant interpretation of the complex statistics of the ETROP study results. The community of ophthalmologists actively dealing with premature children should be aware about the differences in current data interpretation and the possible application in the practical care for premature babies.