Reliability and early detection of retinopathy of prematurity using remote review of digital images sent by telemedicine.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Early detection and follow-up of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) using remote review of tdigital images by two masked readers. Complications associated to low birth weight and born-small-for-gestational-age children have not decreasec in spite of medical advantaces. Even though the incidence of children with prematurity rises to 30.000 per year in Spain (INE,2007). An additional worrying fact in Spain is that no every hospital with Neonatology department have ophthalmologistis specialized in ROP (in Spain there are aroun a hundred specialists in ROP). As a consequence, diagnosisng ROP needs the new born to move to the hospitals where the reviews take place. Thanks to Telemedicine, seventy specialists in ROP will be able to make out universal prescrioptions because they will categorize, diagnose and propose a treatmen to other physicians in a few seconds. Security and reliability of the system to transmit information will be tested in the phase zero of the project. A double-blind trial will be done to know the rato of reliability and conformity of the diagnoses made by two specialists in ROP according to their clinical judgment based on the retinal images sent by Telemedicien. Thanks to Telemedicine this is viable project that can save 300 children from a visual disorders and its social and familiar consequences.