Infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Germany and Türkiye-a comparison based on data from the EU-ROP registry.

PURPOSE: Data on regional differences in demographics and treatment patterns for treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is limited. In this study, data from the two countries with the highest patient numbers in the EU-ROP registry, Germany and Türkiye, are analyzed.

METHODS

The non-interventional, multicenter European ROP registry (EU-ROP) was established in 2021 to compare various parameters related to ROP. In this evaluation, 267 treated children (516 eyes) from Germany and 198 treated children (378 eyes) from Türkiye were included. The two cohorts were compared with regard to demographics, ROP treatment parameters and retreatment rates.

RESULTS

Infants in the German cohort had significantly lower gestational age (GA) as well as postmenstrual age (PMA) at initial treatment and (where applicable) at the time of retreatment. In the German cohort, the majority of eyes (56.1%) were treated due to stage 3 ROP in zone II with plus disease (II 3+). In the Turkish cohort, ROP II 3+ (22.0%), aggressive ROP (A-ROP) (17.9%), and ROP II 3- (17.3%) were the most common treatment indications. While ranibizumab was the predominant treatment modality in the German cohort (91.3%), about half of the eyes in the Turkish cohort were treated with laser coagulation (48.2%) while about 40% received intravitreal bevacizumab. Retreatment rates seemed to be comparable between Germany and Türkiye (28.1% vs. 27.3% of eyes) and were depending on the initial treatment method (30.5% after ranibizumab, 36.9% after bevacizumab, 14.2% after laser coagulation), although the retreatment indications [persistent avascular retina (PAR) vs. active ROP] appear to differ significantly between the two cohorts.

CONCLUSION

In the investigated cohorts, ROP demographics, severity and treatment patterns differed significantly between Germany and Türkiye while the retreatment rate seems comparable. Different approaches to treatment of PAR may have contributed to the comparable retreatment rates despite the differences in initial treatment.