The Effect of Cryotherapy and Laser Photocoagulation for the Retinopathy of Prematurity

ABSTRACT

It has been generally accepted that cryotherapy is a effective therapy in structural outcome in management of threshold retinopathy of prematurity. Despited of this structural success, several potential complications have been termed ocular damage. The purpose of this study is to determine whether diode laser photocoagulation, which has fewer adverse effect and is easier to administe, is as effective as cryotherapy in treatment of prethreshold and threshold retinophthy of prematurity. Twenty-one eyes received diode laser retinal photocoagulation, ranging from 1090 to 1750 g birth weight, and sixty-two eyes received cryotherapy, from 1000 to 1680 g birth weight. The laser-treated eyes had 14.3% unfavorable outcome, and the eyes threated with cryotherapy is as effective as cryotherapy in the result suggests that diode laser therapy is as effective as cryotherapy in the treatment of prethreshold and threshold retinopathy of prematurity. Our study, however, showed that posterior retinopathy of prematurity in zone I was more aggressive than retinopathy of prematurity in zone II and had 42% unfavorable outcome. This result suggests that posterior retinopathy of prematurity requires a careful follow-up examination and and earlier surgical intervention than threshold retinopathy of prematurity.