Objective: To validate in a prospective study the surveillance algorithm WINROP for detecting infants at risk for proliferative retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
Methods: Fifty preterm infants with a mean gestational age of 26 weeks were included. In the first step of WINROP, weekly measures of body weight and serum insulinlike growth factor I (IGF-I) level from birth until postmenstrual age 36 weeks are entered and compared with expected development. If any of the variables show a negative deviation to a certain degree, an alarm is given. In the second step, gestational age, birth weight, and IGF binding protein 3 level are entered.
Results: The WINROP algorithm identified all children (100% sensitivity) who were diagnosed with proliferative ROP 1.1 to 21.6 weeks later. No infants with no alarm or with alarm at low risk developed proliferative ROP. Alarm at high risk before postmenstrual age 32 weeks was given for 22 of 50 infants (44%); 9 of these infants developed proliferative ROP (54% specificity), of whom 8 were treated.
Conclusion: The WINROP algorithm may be a useful tool for modification of ROP screening.