Retinal haemorrhage in the newborn

ABSTRACT

Retinal haernorrhage in the newborn is a well documented observation. In order to determine the frequency of occurrence and to investigate the association with various factors, the retinae of 50 newborns were examined within the first 24 hours after delivery at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The examining ophthalmologist was unaware of the course and management of labor and delivery. Relevant clinical details were taken from the patient's charts, coded and entered into a microcomputer. The results of the analysis revealed that 40% of the 50 newborns examined [N = 20], were found to have retinal haernorrhage. Eight newborns delivered by cesarean section, none of which had retinal Haemorrhage, were excluded from the study. Forty-two newborns delivered vaginally were divided into two groups; group 1 [N = 22] who had a normal retina, and group 2 [N = 20] who had retinal haemorrhage. Several factors were examined for association of occurrence of retinal haemorrhage using comparison between means and frequency of occurrence in each group. None of the factors examined were found to have any association in the development of retinal haemorrhage