[Biochemistry and prepared diagnosis of lung maturation (author's transl)]

The composition and structure of acellular alveolar material are described. Evidences as summarized that 1,2-dipalmityl-sn-glycero-phosphoryl-choline, depending of the presence of other components of the hypophasis, determines the surface tension of the air-alveolus interface. The foetal maturation of the lung is defined according to the Avery-Clements-Gluck theory, as a stabilisation of the alveolar lecthin production; and the dependence of the relevant enzyme activities on the stage of the pregnancy is discussed. Attention is drawn to the possibility of enzyme induction by medication; the biochemical and clinical aspects of the acceleration of lung maturation following glucocorticoid therapy are treated in detail. Finally, methods for the prepartal and postpartal characterisation of lung maturation,and especially the biochemical methods for the determination of lecithin in amniotic fluid, tracheal, and gastric secretion are discussed.