Determination of fetal lung maturity by fluorescence polarization of amniotic fluid.

The degree of fluorescence polarization (P value) of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene has been shown to be an excellent indicator of the lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio in laboratory prepared liposomal dispersions. In order to test the validity of this technique in amniotic fluid, the L/S ratio and P value of 161 amniotic fluid specimens were determined. In 127 the P value was less than or equal to 0.336 and the L/S ratio was greater than or equal to 2. In 26 the P value was greater than 0.336 and the L/S ratio was less than 2 (P less than 0.05). The amniotic fluid P value is affected by blood or meconium but not by surgical lubricants or bilirubin. We concluded that the degree of fluorescence polarization of amniotic fluid indicates fetal lung maturity as reliably as the L/S ratio. However, this method has important technical and practical advantages that make it more applicable for a clinical laboratory.