ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to prove the association between potential fetal hypoxia and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) development and absolute nucleated red blood cell (aNRBC) is used to evaluate it in premature infants without any hypoxic or ischemic history. METHODS: Medical records of 43 premature infants with ROP who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Wonkwang University Hospital from January 2004 to December 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. We excluded 15 infants who had a confounding medical condition that could have increased the aNRBC count. Finally, 28 premature infants affected by ROP were enrolled and compared with 28 pair-matched controls. The aNRBC counts at birth in these infants were compared. Statistical analysis was performed with a paired t-test for continuous data, and a Fisher's exact test for categorical data. P24 hours), prenatal betamethasone, surfactant or respiratory distress syndrome between the ROP and the control infants. In addition, neither group differed in major morbidities such as patent ductus arteriosus, periventricular leukomalacia, intraventricular hemorrhage (> or =Grade 2), or bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Regardless of the severity of ROP, the aNRBC counts at birth in premature infants with ROP were not higher than in the control infants. CONCLUSION: The aNRBC counts at birth may not be related directly to the development of ROP.