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.
Joutsi-Korhonen
Lotta
L
HUSLAB Laboratory Services, Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, Helsinki, Finland.
Aitokallio-Tallberg
Ansa
A
Halmesmäki
Erja
E
Hämäläinen
Esa
E
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