A method is described for evaluating functional maturity of the fetal lung by measuring the palmitic acid content of amniotic fluid lecithin. The proportion of palmitic acid in total lecithin fatty acids correlated well (r = .87) with the pulmonary status of the newborn in the neonatal period. Palmitic acid values of less than 20% correlated with respiratory distress in 21 of 24 pregnancies; values greater than 20% correlated with pulmonary maturity in 39 of 40 pregnancies. Blood in the amniotic fluid does not adversely affect the validity of values for palmitic acid. Advantages of this method for predicting fetal maturity are discussed.
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Russell et al. (1974) studied this question.