Amniotic lamellar body counts determined with the Sysmex XE-2100 analyzer to predict fetal lung maturity during diabetic and other complicated pregnancies.
OBJECTIVE
The detection of amniotic lamellar bodies (LB) has been shown to be a rapid and simple way to assess fetal lung maturity (FLM). The maturity thresholds for LB vary due to different factors, one being the type of particle-count analyser used.


METHODS
The Sysmex XE-2100 hematological analyser was evaluated in determination of amniotic LB counts and compared with lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) determination. We analysed 132 amniotic samples from a total of 109 mothers (71 diabetic) with 112 infants. Results. The correlation between the LB counts obtained with the Sysmex XE-2100 and our reference thin layer chromatography (TLC) phospholipid method was good. Samples with low L/S ratio (< or = 2.0) and no PG (i.e. premature fetal lung status), had low LB counts (n = 18, mean 8500/L, range 1000-26000), whereas 51 samples with mature fetal lung status had high LB counts (mean 63600/uL, range 20,000-139,000). In all our four cases of respiratory distress syndrome the LB counts were low (range 1000-28000/uL). The reference values for FLM determination were established: < or = 6000/microL for immature, values between 7000 and 35,000/uL for borderline results and >35,000/uL for mature. CONCLUSIONS. The amniotic LB count analysis with Sysmex XE-2100 has many advantages being a repeatable, inexpensive and quantitative method with a very short turn-around time. Consequently, our routine is to perform LB counts initially from all amniotic samples and only borderline LB results are analysed with TLC.
HUSLAB Laboratory Services, Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, Helsinki, Finland.
Lotta
L
Joutsi-Korhonen
Ansa
A
Aitokallio-Tallberg
Erja
E
Halmesmäki
Esa
E
Hämäläinen
D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D054709:Lecithins / Q000032:analysis; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology*; D008297:Male; D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols / Q000032:analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000032:analysis*; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000175:diagnosis; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000032:analysis
D054709:Lecithins; D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D013109:Sphingomyelins