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Updated: Jun 22, 2026
An Experimental System to Study Mechanotransduction in Fetal Lung Cells
Published on: February 16, 2012
Determining a cutoff for fetal lung maturity with lamellar body count testing
Mary Beth Janicki1, Lisa M Dries, James F X Egan
1Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut 06105, USA.
Objective:
A lamellar body count (LBC) >or= 50,000/microl is suggested to document fetal lung maturity (FLM). We sought to determine the LBC threshold for FLM with the Cell-dyn 4000 hematology analyser.
Methods:
We queried our database for patients who underwent LBC testing from 2001 to 2007. Included were deliveries between 35 and 38 weeks gestation with testing
Results:
There were 209 patients meeting study criteria. Of these, 120 had diabetes. Five neonates experienced RDS, all born to non-diabetic mothers with LBC values
Conclusion:
Our results question the 50,000/microl threshold and demonstrate the need for hematology analyser specific thresholds.
