[Determination of catecholamine levels in umbilical artery and amniotic fluid in the diagnosis of fetal distress].

Catecholamine (CA) levels of umbilical artery were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in 11 normal term delivery babies and 30 infants with intrauterine fetal distress, and CA in their amniotic fluid which was collected after delivery was also determined. Results showed that CA levels, mainly norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E), in umbilical artery of distressed babies were significantly higher than that of normal infants. The degree of increase was related to the occurrence of neonatal asphyxia, and was negatively correlated with Apgar score. The correlation coefficiency between NE, E and Apgar score was rNE = -0.639, P < 0.01, and rE = -0.459, P < 0.05, respectively. The increase of CA level was an early signal of fetal hypoxia. We believe that CA level in umbilical artery and amniotic fluid was a good index for early diagnosis of fetal distress.