Rapid assessment of fetal pulmonary maturity

The absorbance of amniotic fluid at 653 nm has been measured in 300 specimens and found to have a significant correlation with the L/S ratio. Then 118 patients were further evaluated for neonatal outcome. RDS was absent in 99% of patients with mature absorbance values. This determination has the advantage of rapid performance without specialized equipment or training and represents a significant contribution to the assessment of fetal pulmonary maturity.