Amniotic fluid phosphatidylglycerol and prediction of fetal lung maturity in diabetic pregnancies

Abstract

SummaryAmniocentesis was carried out in 35 pregnant diabetic patients within 72 hours before delivery. All patients had lecithin/sphingomyelin ratios of 22 or more. Four babies (114 per cent) developed respiratory distress syndrome. The remainder of the same 35 samples of amniotic fluid were used retrospectively to predict fetal lung maturity in two ways using phosphatidylglycerol. Measurement of amniotic fluid phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) and phosphatidylglycerol concentrations appears to predict fetal lung maturity more accurately than either the lecithin/ sphingomyelin ratio alone or when combined with simply recording the presence of phosphatidylglycerol.