What is the ratio of lecithin-sfingomyelin?
Some medical tests check the levels of a particular substance in the sample. Others check the level of one substance against the level of another. One of these techniques is the test of the ratio of lecithin-sfingomyelin and compares two oily molecules found on the inner surface of the lungs. Usually the test is used to check how adults are the lungs of the unborn baby, because the ratio of both changes as the child evolves. The amniotic fluid inside the placenta contains enough substances to compare the test, so it is a usually used sample.
human lungs contain many small structures called alveoli. These are small empty bags that exchange carbon dioxide from blood for fresh oxygen from the air in the environment. Children live throughout pregnancy in the placenta filled with liquid and do not have to use the lungs until they are born. Every child develops during pregnancy, from a fertilized egg to a full -fledged child, and the lungs are no exception to the rule. Prematurely born children had no all time of growth necessary toCompletion of lung development and therefore may suffer breathing problems outside the womb.
Every alveoli inside the baby's lungs must be supported and have flexibility to change the shape, as the lungs spread and contrast. In order for the inside of the lungs strong enough and flexible, the inner surface is lubricated by greasy substances. Lecithin is the most important molecule that maintains stable lungs and is also present with sphinxomyelin.
When a child is constantly evolving in later stages of pregnancy, lecithin levels, but the concentration of the sphinomyeline tends to remain stable. Low levels of lecithin mean that the lungs are unstable. A comparison of the ratio of lecithin-sfingomyelin can provide doctors with useful information about the development of the child and how high the risk of bell-bridge with difficulty may be.
When a doctor knows that a mother can go to early work or if a child has to come out before a deadline, a useful test ratio may beITIN-SFINGOMYELIN. Some of the oily substances are present in amniotic fluid, which is a liquid inside the placenta in which the child floats. This test involves inserting a needle into the mother's abdomen into the placenta and brings some risk to the child's life. If the child has breathing problems outside the womb, the test of the ratio of lecithin-sfingomyelin may also be performed, although it is less common.