ROP Screening Tool Assessment and Validation in a Third-Level Hospital in Argentina: A Pilot Study

Purpose:To evaluate whether a mathematical tool that predicts severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) using clinical parameters at 6 weeks of life (ROPScore calculator smartphone application; PABEX Corporation) can be useful to predict severe ROP in a population of premature infants in Argentina. Methods: In this retrospective study, data from the clinical records of all premature infants examined between 2012 and 2018 in the ophthalmology department of a public third-level hospital in COrdoba, Argentina, were obtained. ROPScore screening was applied using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Corporation). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values of the algorithm were analyzed. Results: Between 2012 and 2018, a total of 2,894 preterm infants were examined and 411 met the inclusion criteria, of whom 34% (n = 139) presented some form of ROP and 6% (n = 25) developed severe forms that required treatment. The sensitivity of the algorithm for any ROP and severe ROP was 100%. The PPV and NPV were 35.64% and 100%, respectively, for any ROP and 9.88% and 100% for severe ROP. Conclusions: One-time only calculation of the ROPScore algorithm could identify severe cases after validation, reducing the number of screened infants by 38% in infants with a birth weight of 1,500 g or less or a gestational age of 32 weeks or younger.