Relationship between birth weight and retinal microvasculature in newborn infants

Kandasamy, Y., Smith, R., Wright, I.M.R., and Hartley, L. (2012) Relationship between birth weight and retinal microvasculature in newborn infants. Journal of Perinatology, 32 (6). pp. 443-447.

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Abstract

Objective: The purposes of this study were to determine the normal retinal microvasculature measurements in human infants who are born at term and to determine whether birth weight influences measurements of retinal microvasculature.

Study Design: Retinal arteriole and venule measurements were obtained in a cohort of 24 infants who were born at term. Digital images of both the retinas were obtained using a digital retinal camera after pupillary dilation.

Result: In all, 24 newborn infants born at term (12 females and 12 males) were analyzed in this study. The measured retinal arteriole diameters were from 66.8 to 147.8 µm (mean, 94.2±19.6 µm), and the venule diameters were from 102.0 to 167.8 μm (mean, 135.2±19.1 µm). Seven babies in the sample had low birth weight (LBW), while 17 babies were born with normal weight. Babies with lower birth weights had larger arteriole (113.1±17.9 µm vs 86.4±14.4 µm; P=0.0009) and venule diameters (151.7±14.9 µm vs 128.4±16.9 µm; P=0.0040).

Conclusion: Retinal venules and arterioles in LBW babies are larger compared with those of normal-birth-weight babies. We postulate that the difference observed in our study was due to in utero pathophysiological changes that occurred in the cerebral circulation of growth-restricted fetuses.

Item ID: 36476
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1476-5543
Keywords: retinal arterioles; retinal venules; middle cerebral artery; intrauterine growth restriction
Additional Information:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivative Works 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Funders: Royal Australasian College of Physicians Research and Education Grant
Date Deposited: 20 Jan 2015 04:57
FoR Codes: 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine > 111401 Foetal Development and Medicine @ 100%
SEO Codes: 92 HEALTH > 9201 Clinical Health (Organs, Diseases and Abnormal Conditions) > 920199 Clinical Health (Organs, Diseases and Abnormal Conditions) not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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