Objective To observe the fundus characteristics and associated factors of retinal hemorrhage (RH) in newborns. Methods A total of 293 healthy newborns (586 eyes) were enrolled in this study. A digital wide-angle retinal imaging device (RetCam Ⅲ) was used to examine the subjects at about 2 days after birth (2.7 plusmn;0.9) days. The images of posterior pole, temporal quadrant, superior quadrant, nasal quadrant and inferior quadrant of the fundus of each eye were taken sequentially. Every newborn completed the examination and the mean duration of the procedure was (2.62 plusmn;0.55) minutes. Newborns with RH were reexamined after one month. RH was classified according to the location and size of the hemorrhages based on guidelines in the literature. The location and degree of RH was determined in each newborn. The incidence of RH by gender, parity, birth weight, maternal age and delivery method was compared and analyzed. Results RH was present in 87 eyes (14.8%) of 58 newborns (19.8%) and of the 58 newborns with RH, half (29 eyes) had hemorrhages in both eyes, and half (29 eyes) had hemorrhages in only one eye. The site of the hemorrhage was all on the superficial retina. Of the 87 eyes with RH, 72 eyes (82.8%) had hemorrhage in zone Ⅰ, 86 eyes (98.9%) had hemorrhage in zone Ⅱ, and 36 eyes (41.4%) had hemorrhage in zone Ⅲ. Thirty-eight eyes (43.7%) had hemorrhage in zone Ⅰand Ⅱ. Three eyes (3.4%) had hemorrhage in zone Ⅱ and Ⅲ. Thirtythree eyes (37.9%) had hemorrhage in zone Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ. One eye (0.4%) had hemorrhage in zoneⅠonly. Twelve eyes (13.8%) had hemorrhage in zone Ⅱ only. None had hemorrhage in zone Ⅲ only. The severity of RH was grade Ⅰ in 13 of 87 eyes (14.9%), grade Ⅱ in 33 of 87eyes (37.9%), and grade Ⅲ in 41 of 87 eyes (47.1%). Fourteen of 58 newborns with RH (24.1%) were lost to follow-up. Forty-four of 58 newborns with RH (75.9%) were reexamined one month after birth and all the RH disappeared entirely. There were no statistically significant differences among the incidences of RH of the different gender ( chi;2=0.018,P=0.893), parity（ chi;2=0.772,P=0.380）, birth weight（ chi;2=1.611,P=0.447）and maternal age ( chi;2=0.915,P=0.339). The incidence of RH was higher for vaginal delivery than that for cesarean section delivery ( chi;2=3.073,P＜0.05). Conclusions The RH in newborn is located in the superficial retina, mostly located in zone Ⅰor zone Ⅱ, and resolves itself within one month after birth. The RH in newborns is related to the mode of delivery, but not related to gender, parity, birth weight or maternal age.
Citation： 潘建东,黄崇斌,陈峰,姜建亮,沈丽君,蔡星星. Retinal hemorrhage in newborns and associated factors. Chinese Journal of Ocular Fundus Diseases, 2013, 29(3): 280-283. doi: Copy