Preterm Infants REtinalMicrovascular Alterations by Means of OCT Angiography

Retinal vascularization in humans develops between the 16th and 36th week of amenorrhea, centrifugally from the papilla. In case of premature birth, the immature retinal periphery is at risk of ischemia due to lack of vascular development. This lack of perfusion in the retinal periphery leads to abnormal secretion of pro-angiogenic factors, promoting the appearance of abnormal neovessels, which can be complicated by intravitreal hemorrhage and tractional retinal detachment, permanently altering vision.

Conversely, it is known that in premature infants, there is a smaller central avascular zone compared to full-term infants. This area of the retina, where 90% of the cones are concentrated, must be free of vascular structures to allow optimal vision.

Prematurity is often associated with respiratory fragility. It often requires ventilatory support in the form of oxygen therapy, invasive (oro-tracheal intubation) or non-invasive, which causes reflex arteriolar vasoconstriction, aggravating the ischemia already present in the periphery.

Clinically, after birth, ocular disorders are more frequently found in preterm infants: amblyopia and contrast vision disorders, ametropia, strabismus and optic nerve anomalies.

It is questionable whether there are subclinical retinal vascular changes, detectable on Tomographie par Cohérence Optique-Angiography, associated with clinical differences.

Indeed, Angiography-Tomographie par Cohérence Optique allows detection of changes in foveolar and peripapillary retinal microvascularization more sensitively than dilated fundus examination (detection of subclinical microvascular abnormalities), as has been demonstrated for many retinal pathologies; it thus participates in the diagnosis, monitoring, evaluation of therapeutic response and prognosis of many retinal Angiography Tomographie par Cohérence Optique is rapidly expanding in retinal vascular pathologies: it is a simple, rapid, reliable, noninvasive, and injection-free examination that allows high-resolution study of the retinal vasculature, with a distinct analysis of the retinal plexuses and the choriocapillaris.

It would also be interesting to investigate whether there is a correlation between the child's neonatal parameters, the retinal vascular changes on Angiography -Tomographie par Cohérence Optique, and the elements of the clinical examination (vision and refraction). If such a correlation is found, it would allow a targeted and personalized visual screening of the subjects identified as most at risk, with a stratification of the ocular risk according to the neonatal history and the OCT-A measurements.

Finally, this study would provide a better understanding of the development of the retina during the neonatal period, the factors that may influence it, and the mechanisms potentially responsible for the observed disorders.