Changing Treatment Patterns of XXXX at a Tertiary Medical Center Between 2002 and 2012.

@entity1 @entity989 @entity3465 @entity1713 @entity6109
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To clinically correlate and evaluate the screening and treatment patterns of @entity989 of @entity3465 by a single physician at a tertiary care center between 2002 and 2012. @entity1 AND METHODS: A group of 10,924 newborns screened for @entity6109 between 2002 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed in a consecutive case series. Records of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Jackson Memorial Hospital/Bascom Palmer Eye Institute were reviewed to identify @entity1 clinically diagnosed with @entity989 of @entity3465 who underwent treatment. RESULTS: Laser photocoagulation was used to treat 231 of 10,924 (2.1%). Of these 231 @entity1 , 176 (76.2%) were included in the study (55 @entity1 were excluded because they were referred from outside institutions for advanced @entity6109 ). Of the 176 treated @entity1 , 89 (50.6%) were male and 87 (49.4%) were female. The average birth weight was 687.3 g. The mean gestational age was 24.8 weeks. The mean time between birth and treatment was 3 months. Of the 176 @entity1 , 31 required re-treatment with laser photocoagulation. The rates of treatment and retreatment significantly declined with the experience of the treating physician ( P < .01). @entity1713 occurred in two of 176 @entity1 (1.1%). CONCLUSION: Experience is essential in delivering optimal care in a complex disease such as @entity6109 . Between 2002 and 2012, the rate of treatment and retreatment significantly decreased. Possible reasons include improvements in neonatal care, but it is more likely that the rate of treatment and re-treatment is inversely proportional to the ophthalmologist's experience with and comfort in managing @entity6109 .
