title: The influence of pre-eclampsia on fetal lung maturity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To use amniotic fluid (AF) lamellar body count (LBC) to assess the influence of pre-eclampsia and associated pathologic conditions on fetal lung maturity (FLM).
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was conducted to analyze 378 AF samples containing 5 mL of AF from 306 singleton pregnancies at 26-39 weeks. Stratified by gestational age groups, pregnancies were categorized as follows: pre-eclampsia (n=25); intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (n=74); pre-eclampsia and IUGR (n=63); and control (n=144). Amniotic fluid LBC in each group was estimated and medians were compared for defined gestational age periods. Statistical analyses were performed via non-parametric tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 31 and 33 weeks, significantly lower median LBCs were found in the pre-eclampsia group than in the IUGR group (P=0.022) and in pregnancies with both entities (P=0.031). Between 34 and 36 weeks, there were significantly lower median LBCs in the pre-eclampsia and the pre-eclampsia/IUGR groups than in the IUGR group (P=0.026 and P=0.004, respectively), as well as in the pre-eclampsia/IUGR group compared with the control group (P=0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significantly lower LBCs in pre-eclamptic pregnancies between 31 and 36 weeks of gestation indicate delayed FLM associated with pre-eclampsia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Perinatology Unit, University Hospital Center Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia. tea.stimac@ri.t-com.hr
authors.forename: Tea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stimac
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Petrović
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krajina
authors.forename: Aleks
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Finderle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies