THESS-ROP study: Development of a prediction model for treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity and…

Cohort studyActa ophthalmologica· Jul 2026

THESS-ROP study: Development of a prediction model for treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity and external validation of postnatal weight-gain-based models in Greece.

Stella Moutzouri, Anna-Bettina Haidich, Maria Lithoxopoulou … Asimina Mataftsi

Pediatric OphthalmologyCohort studyPrognosisQ1IF 3.0

New THESS-ROP model accurately predicts which premature infants need retinopathy treatment.

THESS-ROP study: Development of a prediction model for treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity and external validation of postnatal weight-gain-based models in Greece.

Stella Moutzouri … Asimina Mataftsi

Acta ophthalmologica · Jul 2026 · Q1 in Ophthalmology

Purpose

To develop THESS-ROP, a novel prediction model for treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity (treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity) and compare its performance with four established models in a Greek cohort of consecutively screened preterm infants.

Methods

This ambispective cohort study included all 526 infants screened for ROP (2016-2022) at the 2nd Neonatology Department of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit in Greece.

n = 526 infants

Results

correctly told apart infants needing treatment from those who didn't, almost perfectly

98%

Sensitivity

58%

Specificity

More results

Treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity developed in 34 infants (6.5%; 24 type 1, 10 type 2), with 29 receiving treatment.

Sensitivity reached 100% for type 1 ROP and treated ROP.

More results

In external validation, CO-ROP, G-ROP, G-ROP 180 g, and ROPScore achieved pooled sensitivities of 90.9%, 98.8%, 98.8%, and 100.0% with specificities of 63.4%, 34.4%, 26.1%, and 62.1%, respectively.

“

Conclusion · 1 of 2

THESS-ROP model, incorporating easily available clinical data, enables effective early risk stratification at 4 weeks PNA and may optimize ROP screening.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

External validation in independent populations is required before clinical implementation.

THESS-ROP study: Development of a prediction model for treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity and external validation of postnatal weight-gain-based models in Greece.

THESS-ROP study: Development of a prediction model for treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity and external validation of postnatal weight-gain-based models in Greece.

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