Gestational age-specific cutoff levels of TDx-FLM II for the prediction of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.

AIM: To construct a predictive model for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) from gestational age (GA) at delivery and TDx-FLM II value.

METHODS

Pregnant women who underwent an amniocentesis in which TDx-FLM II was determined were included in the study. A model for the occurrence of RDS was constructed by means of a logistic regression procedure from TDx-FLM II values and GA at delivery.

RESULTS

The mean value of TDx-FLM II was 47.11 mg/g. The mean GA at delivery was 33.4 weeks. The incidence of RDS was 7.8% (18/231). The optimal cutoff of predicted risk for respiratory distress was found to be 8.8%, resulting in a sensitivity and specificity of 89 and 83%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The adjustment of the TDx-FLM II value for GA at delivery results in a significant improvement in the predictive capacity of the test for the occurrence of RDS. The use of GA-specific cutoff values may simplify clinical decisions.