Background:
Fetal lung maturity is one of the most important criteria which is studied during preterm delivery, because its immaturity can cause many postpartum complications such as respiratory distress syndrome. Thalamus echogenicity is a new ultrasound criterion which increases during pregnancy as the fetus grows.
Purpose:
This study was designed to investigate the Relationship Between Fetal Thalamus Echogenicity by Ultrasound and Neonatal Lung Maturity Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 57 pregnant women referred to the hospitals of Mashhad Azad University. All mothers underwent ultrasound sonography to measure thalamus echogenicity, interstitial diameter, placental changes, abdominal circumference, femoral bone length, and head circumference. Apgar score of one and five minutes, hospitalization in NICU and the opinion of a pediatrician were used to assess lung maturity.
Results:
The mean age of mothers participating in the study was 34/26 years. 63/2% of infants had mature lungs. There was a significant relationship between maternal age,fetal age, thalamic echogenicity, presence of vernix in amniotic fluid, hospitalization in NICU and Apgar score with fetal lung maturity (P<0/05).
Conclusion:
According to the results of this study thalamus echogenicity can be used as a non-invasive measure to assess fetal lung maturity.