Comparison of methods for evaluating surface properties of lung in perinatal period.

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Abstract
Surface properties of lungs from 90 perinatal deaths were evaluated by 4 methods: bubble stability ratio, bubble clicking, surface balance and pressure-volume curve of air-inflated lung. By each of the 4 methods lungs could be divided into normal and abnormal groups, and in only a minority of cases did the different methods fail to give concordant results. The bubble-clicking method is simple, rapid, requires only a fraction of a gram of tissue and no special equipment. Most of the lungs which lacked normal surface properties also showed hyaline membrane, if the infant had been live born and had survived more than 2 hr. Exceptions to this general rule are discussed. Lung surfactant findings are presented in 2 particular groups of cases: congenital hypoplasia of lung and infants of diabetic mothers.