ORGANIZATION OF PROVISION OF THE OPHTHALMOLOGICAL CARE FOR THE CHILDREN PRESENTING WITH RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY IN THE CHELYABINSK REGION UNDER CONDITIONS OF TRANSITION TO THE INTERNATIONAL CRITERIA FOR LIVE BIRTH

Aim. The objective of the present study was to contribute to the improvement of the work of the services providing the ophthalmological care for the children presenting with retinopathy of prematurity in the Chelyabinsk region based on the analysis of the main characteristics of their activities under conditions of transition to the international criteria for live birth. Materials and methods. We have elaborated the model for the organization of the ophthalmological aid to the children comprising the group of enhanced risk of development of retinopathy of prematurity based at a multi-disciplinary pediatric healthcare facility of the Chelyabinsk region. The analysis of its work covered the period of 7 years and included such characteristics as the prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity in the high-risk group with special reference to the severity of this condition, its threshold and terminal stages as well as the frequency of aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity. The overall prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity among the children’s population of the Chelyabinsk region during the period from 2009 till 2015 was estimated to amount to 36.4%. The threshold stage of this condition (including its aggressive posterior variant) was shown to have occurred in 26.7% of the examined children. Results. Despite the ever increasing survival rate among the extremely prematurely born infants, the number of the blind patients among those examined in the present study decreased by a factor of 4.5. The advantages of the proposed model for the provision of specialized ophthalmological care for the preterm children include the possibility of parallel monitoring the indicators of ophthalmological and somatic conditions of the children with the participation of the highly skilled physicians, anesthesiologists, and neonatologists. Conclusion. The results of this study can be used to further improve the quality of the screening for retinopathy of prematurity among the preterm infants and the adequate treatment of this condition for preserving vision in a greater number of such patients.

retinopathy of prematurity, Chelyabinsk region, neonatal care, organization of ophthalmological aid