RT Book, Section
A1 Palmer, Earl A.
A1 Hsu-Dresden, Irene
A2 Rudolph, Colin D.
A2 Rudolph, Abraham M.
A2 Lister, George E.
A2 First, Lewis R.
A2 Gershon, Anne A.
SR Print(0)
ID 7060238
T1 Chapter 591. Retinopathy of Prematurity
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-149723-7
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7060238
RD 2024/04/25
AB Retinopathy  of  prematurity  (ROP)  is  a  disorder  that  affects  the  developing  retinal  blood  vessels  of  premature  infants.  It  the  leading  cause  of  acquired  childhood  blindness  in  the  United  States.  The  disease  was  first  recognized  in  the  1940s1  and  was  initially  thought  to  be  due  to  the  normal  primitive  vascular  system  in  the  vitreous  cavity  persisting  in  an  abnormal  fibrotic  state.2  By  1952,  ROP  became  recognized  as  an  acquired  disease,3  and  in  1955,  the  role  of  excessive  supplementary  oxygen  for  premature  infants  was  proven  to  be  a  significant  causative  factor.4  Despite  many  improvements  in  neonatal  care  practices,  ROP  continues  into  the  21st  century  as  a  major  complication  of  premature  birth.