Flicker electroretinogram recorded with portable ERG device in prematurely born schoolchildren with and without ROP.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare electroretinographic (ERG) responses of preterm schoolchildren, with and without a history of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) with those of full-term schoolchildren by using a portable ERG device (RETeval system).

METHODS

Twenty five prematurely born schoolchildren with a mean gestational age of 27 + 1/7w (range 23-30w) and a mean birth weight of 1030 g (range 580-1700 g) who were 6.9 ± 2.2 years old participated in the study (premature group). A further subdivision according to a history of ROP (ROP+ group) or its absence (ROP- group) was introduced. Twenty eight healthy full-term schoolchildren with an average age of 8.6 ± 1.9 years participated as the control group. 30-Hz flicker ERG responses were obtained, and implicit times and amplitudes were compared between the groups.

RESULTS

30-Hz flicker ERG implicit times showed a significant difference between all three groups of children. The mean value of the implicit time in the term group was 25.76 ± 0.9 ms, whereas in the preterm ROP + group it was 28.96 ± 1.0 ms and in the preterm ROP- group it was 26.87 ± 1.5 ms. 30-Hz flicker ERG amplitudes did not show significant difference between term children and children born prematurely with or without ROP.

CONCLUSIONS

Prematurely born schoolchildren exhibit longer implicit time of the 30-Hz flicker ERG response compared to controls, suggesting a possible abnormality of the retinal cone system function. Under such circumstances, portable ERG device might be used clinically as a screening tool for retinal function evaluation in prematurely born children.