Fluorescein angiography opportunities in the diagnosis and treatment tactics for retinopathy of prematurity in case of active stages

To study possibilities of fluorescein angiography (FA) in the diagnosis and treatment tactics for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in case of active stages. Between Dec 2011 and Mar 2013 there were performed 71 fluorescent angiographies in 48 premature children with different stages of active ROP. Voluntary informed consents for the diagnostic examination were received from all the parents. The examination was carried out by the retinal pediatric digital video system RetCam-3 equipped with a built unit for the FA. Results show that the peculiarity of the retinal circulation in children with different ROP stages is a pronounced difference between vascularized and avascular retina and a clearly visualized boundary between them. It is revealed a possibility of detailed visualization of the retinal vasculature, which is not always clearly visible on the digital images. The FA allows to identify an early flat neovascularization in unfavorable forms of ROP course, which is not defined in the standard diagnostic methods. Sidorova et al conclude that the FA is important additional method for children with ROP examination. The FA role in the ROP management and the control of treatment efficiency and ROP regression is invaluable.