AMNIOTIC FLUID PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN NORMAL AND ABNORMAL PREGNANCY

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Abstract
Summary: A method is described that gives accurate quantification of the phospholipid fractions in amniotic fluid and requires a sample of only one ml. Phospholipid estimations were made in 86 samples of amniotic fluid from normal and abnormal pregnancies. The percentage of amniotic fluid phospholipids that were alkali‐labile was determined. As thin‐layer chromatography suggested that most of the alkali‐labile phospholipid was lecithin, this percentage was called the “lecithin level”. Prenatal lecithin levels in amniotic fluid were compared with the neonatal condition of the infant. When the amniotic fluid lecithin level exceeded 65 per cent, fetal lung maturity could be anticipated. Amniotic fluid lecithin levels below 60 per cent of the total phospholipid were associated with the development of respiratory distress syndrome and also with anencephaly. In pregnancies complicated by hypertension and fetal growth retardation the amniotic fluid lecithin levels were within the normal range.