後期早産児（在胎34～36週出生）のマイクロバブルテストについての検討

抄録

Background: Surfactants are produced sufficiently after 34 weeks of gestation as the fetal lungs mature. The stable microbubble test (SMT) evaluates fetal lung maturity. However, late preterm infants sometimes present with severe respiratory distress and require appropriate respiratory care.

Methods: We reviewed 42 late preterm infants who underwent the SMT with gastric aspiration upon admission to our neonatal intensive care unit. The gestational age was 35.3 (34.6-36.0) weeks, and the birth body weight was 2,181 (1,971-2,527) g. We classified the patients into the premature and mature groups based on the results of the SMT. We investigated the results of the SMT in late preterm infants and compared lung maturity with the maternal and neonatal respiratory clinical courses.

Results: There were 12 infants in preterm group (28.6%). The gestational age of the premature group was significantly longer, and the Apgar scores were lower in the premature group. Mothers of the premature group had significantly more cases of gestational diabetes mellitus. Respiratory distress syndrome was significantly more frequent, and infants in the premature group required invasive ventilation more frequently.

Conclusions: We found that a small number of neonates produced sufficient surfactant, even in late preterm infants. It is suggested that the production of surfactants is related to gestational diabetes mellitus more than gestational age, and the SMT is useful in late preterm infants.