Biomaterial Database

Ultrasonically determined menstrual age as an indicator of fetal lung maturity. 1982

R L Deter, and F P Hadlock, and B R Carollo

The usefulness of ultrasonically determined menstrual age as a predictor of fetal lung maturity has been evaluated in patients without fetal or maternal disease undergoing repeat cesarean section. The menstrual age of each fetus was determined at 18-32 wk using biparietal diameter (BPD) measurements and previously established BPD growth curves. Lung maturity prior to delivery was assessed by measuring the lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) in amniotic fluid. The menstrual age at the time of the amniocentesis was derived by extrapolation from the results of the first scan. When the Sabbagha Composite BPD growth curve was used for menstrual age determinations, the L/S was less than 2.0 in all cases before 34 wk, both less than 2.0 and greater than or equal to 2.0 between 34 and 38 wk, and greater than or equal to 2.0 in all but one case after 38 wk. This one case represents 1.2% of fetuses studied. These results suggest that in the absence of fetal and maternal disease, a menstrual age of 38 wk or older, based on an early BPD measurement and use of the Sabbagha Composite BPD growth curve, is indicative of lung maturity in most cases.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008168	Lung	Either of the pair of organs occupying the cavity of the thorax that effect the aeration of the blood.	Lungs
D011247	Pregnancy	The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.	Gestation,Pregnancies
D011263	Pregnancy Trimester, Third	The last third of a human PREGNANCY, from the beginning of the 29th through the 42nd completed week (197 to 294 days) of gestation.	Pregnancy, Third Trimester,Trimester, Third,Last Trimester,Last Trimesters,Pregnancies, Third Trimester,Pregnancy Trimesters, Third,Third Pregnancy Trimester,Third Pregnancy Trimesters,Third Trimester,Third Trimester Pregnancies,Third Trimester Pregnancy,Third Trimesters,Trimester, Last,Trimesters, Last,Trimesters, Third
D005260	Female		Females
D005865	Gestational Age	The age of the conceptus, beginning from the time of FERTILIZATION. In clinical obstetrics, the gestational age is often estimated from the onset of the last MENSTRUATION which is about 2 weeks before OVULATION and fertilization. It is also estimated to begin from fertilization, estrus, coitus, or artificial insemination.	Embryologic Age,Fetal Maturity, Chronologic,Chronologic Fetal Maturity,Fetal Age,Maturity, Chronologic Fetal,Age, Embryologic,Age, Fetal,Age, Gestational,Ages, Embryologic,Ages, Fetal,Ages, Gestational,Embryologic Ages,Fetal Ages,Gestational Ages
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014465	Ultrasonics	A subfield of acoustics dealing in the radio frequency range higher than acoustic SOUND waves (approximately above 20 kilohertz). Ultrasonic radiation is used therapeutically (DIATHERMY and ULTRASONIC THERAPY) to generate HEAT and to selectively destroy tissues. It is also used in diagnostics, for example, ULTRASONOGRAPHY; ECHOENCEPHALOGRAPHY; and ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, to visually display echoes received from irradiated tissues.	Ultrasonic