人工肺サーファクタント補充療法と未熟児網膜症

Artificial pulmonary surfactant replacement therapy on retinopathy of prematurity

　緒言　人工肺サーファクタント補充療法は新生児呼吸障害，なかでも呼吸窮迫症候群に劇的な効果を示し，現在広く行われている。しかし未熟児網膜症（retinopathy of prematurity：ROP）に対する人工肺サーファクタント補充療法の影響は，まだ不明な点が多い。今回，同療法の導入前と確立後の両期間での低出生体重児のROP発症率と進行度の比較，およびサーファクタント投与によるROP発症への影響の有無について検討したので報告する。

We evaluated the effect of artificial pulmonary surfactant replacement therapy on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in 530 low birthweight infants during the two periods before 1975 and after 1989. In 60 extremely low birthweight infants referred to us after this therapy was established, the incidenceof ROP was significantly higher in infants treated with surfactant than in those without. Also, the incidence of severe ROP was higher in infants born after the introduction of this therapy than before. The findings show that surfactant therapy increases the incidence and severity of ROP.