Amniotic fluid lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio, palmitic acid, palmitic acid/stearic acid ratio, total cortisol, creatinine, and percentage of lipid-positive cells in assessment of fetal maturity and fetal pulmonary maturity: a comparison.

Lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio, creatinine, percentage of lipid-positive cells, palmitic acid, palmitic acid/stearic acid (P/S) ratio, and total cortisol were analyzed as tests for fetal maturity and fetal pulmonary maturity in 164 samples of amniotic fluid from 121 patients. Fifty samples were taken within 72 hours of delivery. The best tests for fetal maturity (37 weeks) with differential percentages were L/S ratio, palmitic acid, and P/S ratio. In the assessment of fetal pulmonary maturity, we studied an additional 174 samples in which only L/S ratio, creatinine, and lipid-positive cells were analyzed. All tests showed a high predictive value of an immature (positive) result was much less for all six parameters; the three best tests were total cortisol (33%), lipid-positive cells (26%) and L/S ratio (14%).