The Efficacy of Lamellar Body Counts for Prediction of Perinatal Outcome

Park, In Yang; Chung, Jae Eun; Kim, So Young; Shin, Hwa Jung; Jin, Tae Young; Kim, Soo Yun; Lee, Ji Hyun; Kim, Sa Jin; Shin, Jong Chul; Kim, Soo Pyung

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
This study is aimed to evaluate whether lamellar body count (LBC) in amniotic fluid could be used as a predictor of neonatal morbidity as well as respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and to determine the value of lamellar body count that maximizes sensitivity and specificity.
METHODS
We conducted a prospective clinical outcome study. Amniotic fluid was obtained from 39 pregnant women at various gestational ages (29 to 36 weeks) from March 1, 2002 to February 28, 2003. They delivered within 72 hours of amniocentesis, excluding 6 cases of contaminated amniotic fluid. A LBC was performed on each specimen. The frequencies of RDS, minor and major morbidity of newborn in different LBC cutoff value were analyzed. Statistic analysis was done by Chi-square test.
RESULTS
LBCs increased with gestation (r=0.533, p<0.05). The LBC cutoff value that best agreed with RDS (sensitivity 36.4%, specificity 93.8%), minor morbidity (sensitivity 100.0%, specificity 50.0%) and major morbidity (sensitivity 45.5%, specificity 81.3%) was 30,000/ l.
CONCLUSION
These results indicate that LBC might be useful as a predictor of neonatal morbidity as well as respiratory distress syndrome.