OCTA Evaluation of Retinal Vascularization in Preterm Infants With or Without Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: OCT Angiography.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia. Basic parameters: 5 years — 15 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- France
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Overview
Retinal vascularization in humans develops between the 16th and 36th weeks of amenorrhea, in a centrifugal pattern starting from the optic disc. In the case of premature birth, the immature peripheral retina is at risk of ischemia due to incomplete vascular development. Prematurity is often associated with respiratory fragility. It frequently requires ventilatory support in the form of oxygen therapy, either invasive (orotracheal intubation) or non-invasive, which induces reflex arteriolar vasoconstriction, thereby worsening the existing ischemia. This raises the question of whether subclinical retinal vascular changes, detectable by OCT angiography, may explain the increased risk of amblyopia and the need for optical correction observed in these patients. OCT angiography is rapidly expanding in the field of retinal vascular diseases: it is a simple, fast, reliable, and non-invasive examination, requiring no injection, that enables high-resolution visualization of retinal vascularization, with separate analysis of the retinal plexuses and the choriocapillaris.
Detailed description
Retinal vascularization in humans develops between the 16th and 36th weeks of gestational age, progressing centrifugally from the optic disc. In the case of premature birth, the immature peripheral retina is at risk of ischemia due to incomplete vascular development. This lack of perfusion in the retinal periphery leads to abnormal secretion of pro-angiogenic factors, promoting the formation of abnormal neovessels, which may be complicated by vitreous hemorrhage and tractional retinal detachment, resulting in permanent visual impairment.
Conversely, it is known that premature infants have a smaller central avascular zone compared with full-term infants. This region of the retina, where 90% of cones are concentrated, must remain free of vascular structures to allow optimal vision.
Prematurity is often associated with respiratory fragility. It frequently requires ventilatory support in the form of oxygen therapy, either invasive (orotracheal intubation) or non-invasive, which induces reflex arteriolar vasoconstriction and worsens the ischemia already present in the periphery.
Clinically, after birth, ocular disorders are more frequently observed in premature children, including amblyopia, impaired contrast sensitivity, refractive errors, strabismus, and optic nerve abnormalities.
It is therefore reasonable to question whether subclinical retinal vascular changes exist, detectable by OCT angiography, and associated with these clinical differences.
Indeed, OCT-A makes it possible to detect changes in foveal and peripapillary retinal microvascularization more sensitively than dilated fundus examination (allowing detection of subclinical microvascular abnormalities), as has been demonstrated in numerous retinal diseases. It thus contributes to diagnosis, follow-up, assessment of therapeutic response, and prognosis in many retinal pathologies.
OCT angiography is rapidly expanding in the field of retinal vascular diseases: it is a simple, quick, reliable, non-invasive, dye-free examination that enables high-resolution study of retinal vasculature, with separate analysis of the retinal plexuses and the choriocapillaris.
It would also be of interest to investigate whether there is a correlation between neonatal parameters, retinal vascular changes observed on OCT-A, and clinical findings (vision and refraction). If such a correlation is demonstrated, it could enable targeted and personalized visual screening of individuals identified as being at highest risk, with stratification of ocular risk based on neonatal history and OCT-A measurements.
Finally, such a study would improve our understanding of retinal development during the neonatal period, the factors that may influence it, and the mechanisms potentially responsible for the observed disorders.
Interventions
- Device OCT Angiography
OCTA evaluation of retinal vascularization in preterm infants with or without bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Primary outcome measures
- Highlight a difference in vascular density on OCT-A (%), between preterm infants (born ≤ 28 weeks of gestational age) and control infants (born > 38 weeks of gestational age) [Time frame: Day 1]
Secondary outcome measures (5)
- Evaluation of retinal vascular density using OCT-A in preterm and term-born children [Time frame: Day 1]
- Foveal avascular zone area [Time frame: Day 1]
- Fractal dimension on OCT-A images [Time frame: Day1]
- Best-corrected visual acuity [Time frame: Day1]
- Visual acuity (Snellen scale) with correction Spherical equivalent (SE) [Time frame: Day1]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Preterm group:
Any child aged 5 to 15 years born at or before 28 weeks' gestation (with or without bronchopulmonary dysplasia), followed or not at CHIC.
-Control group: Any child aged 5 to 15 years born at or after 38 weeks' gestation, attending ophthalmology consultations at CHIC.
- Agreement to participate in the study protocol
- Child living near CHI Créteil
- Enrolled in a social security scheme
Exclusion criteria
- Neurobehavioral disorders or psychomotor delay preventing the examination from being performed
- Presence of ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) involving zone I or having received intravitreal injections (IVT) of anti-VEGF (as this may directly alter OCT-A parameters)
- Pre-existing retinal disease: macular scar of any cause, retinal vascular abnormalities such as sickle cell disease or diabetes
- Pre-existing optic nerve diseases: glaucoma, coloboma, tumors
- Chronic respiratory diseases other than BPD (bronchopulmonary dysplasia) (i.e., not associated with prematurity): cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, etc.
- General condition unrelated to prematurity that may have a retinal impact: for example respiratory diseases other than BPD
- Participation in an interventional ophthalmology study
- History of febrile seizures in infancy or epilepsy contraindicating the use of eye drops
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Non-randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
Study locations
France · 1 center
- Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal de Créteil — Créteil
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07586683 · OCTA_BRO