Open AccessChanges in Amniotic Fluid Phospholipids On Treatment with Glucocorticoids to Prevent Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Author(s) -
Ekelund Laila,
Arvidson Gösta,
Ohrlander Sten,
Åstedt Birger
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.3109/00016347609158524
Subject(s) - amniotic fluid , lecithin , amniocentesis , medicine , betamethasone , respiratory distress , phospholipid , endocrinology , sphingomyelin , ards , pregnancy , cholesterol , fetus , anesthesia , chemistry , chromatography , lung , biochemistry , prenatal diagnosis , biology , genetics , membrane
. Amniotic fluid was obtained by transabdominal amniocentesis in 51 women in the 29th–36th week of pregnancy. the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio was determined. in 28 patients, the ratio was <2.2. Betamethasone was given for three days to 14 of them; the rest served as controls. On the fourth day, a second amniocentesis was performed on all patients. the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio rose to a value >2.2 in 4 of the patients in the betamethasone‐treated group and in one of the controls. the percentage of palmitic acid in the lecithin increased concomitantly with increasing lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio. These results suggest that glucocorticoid‐induced acceleration of fetal pulmonary maturation may be reflected in the amniotic fluid as changes in its phospholipid composition. the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio was found to be >2.2 in 23 patients at the first amniocentesis. in such cases treatment with glucocorticoids can be avoided.