Prematurity: A medical history of obligatory consideration when assessing the retinal ganglion cell complex

Abstract

Introduction: Premature children birth and survival is becoming more frequent due to the improvement in obstetric and neonatal care. This makes it increasingly common to find patients with history of preterm birth in ophthalmology clinics, both in pediatric and adult ages. Premature birth can lead to ocular structural changes, being possible to affect the ganglion cell complex (GCC), among other structures, which can be studied using optical coherence tomography.

Materials and methods: To carry out a bibliographic review of the studies that analyze GCC in patients with a history of prematurity compared with patients born at term.

Results: Several studies that analyze GCC in patients with a history of prematurity are referenced and their results are studied.

Conclusions: In our clinical practice, knowing the history of prematurity is fundamental in the assessment of GCC measured by optical coherence tomography, since this layer is different in the patients with a history of prematurity compared to patients born at term.

Keywords: Capa de células ganglionares de la retina; Capa de fibras nerviosas de la retina; Complejo de células ganglionares; Ganglion cell complex; Ganglion cell layer; Optical coherence tomography; Prematuridad; Prematurity; Retina nerve fiber layer; Tomografía de coherencia óptica.