To evaluate whether retinal images from routine ROP screening can predict bronchopulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary hypertension in premature infants.
Approach:
Key Findings:
The multimodal model for bronchopulmonary dysplasia achieved an AUC of 0.82, outperforming both demographics-only and imaging-only models (0.72 each).
The imaging-only model for pulmonary hypertension achieved an AUC of 0.91, significantly outperforming the demographics-only model (0.68).
Adding demographic data did not improve the performance of the multimodal model for pulmonary hypertension (AUC 0.91).
Interpretation:
The study suggests that retinal imaging can provide valuable predictive information for severe cardiopulmonary complications in premature infants, potentially enhancing clinical management.
Limitations:
Small pulmonary hypertension cohort limits statistical power.
Lack of external validation across different imaging devices.
Absence of model explainability analyses.
Conclusion:
Retinal imaging embedded in neonatal care pathways could support earlier identification of infants at high risk for severe cardiopulmonary complications, prompting timely interventions.
