Pulmonary Hypoplasia and Morphological Characteristics and Surfactant Content Following Oligohydramnios or Diaphragmatic Hernia.

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To study the effect of oligohydramnios on lung growth and biochemical lung development in fetal rabbits, amniotic fluid was drained through a tube inserted into the maternal peritoneal cavity on the 23rd day of gestation. 1-ittermate fetuses without an amniotic shunt were used as controls. The fetuses were delivered abdominally on the 28th day of gestation. In a total of 8 pregnant does, 17 fetuses underwent amniotic shunting and 22 fetuses were used as controls. The amniotic shunt produced a significant reduction in the amniotic fluid volume. There were no differences in the wet weights of the fetal body, liver or brain between the two groups. however, the amniotic sliurit significantly decreased the wet weight of the fetal lung, fetal lung wet weight/body weight ratio, and protein concentration per lung as compared to tile control fetuses. In the fetal liver and brain tissues, no changes were found in the concentrations, of total phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine (PC) or disaturated phosphatidylcholine (DSPC, the main component of Iiing surfactant) per g of wet tissue and per mg of protein. however, the lungs of the fetuses with amniotic shunts contained significantly more PC and DSPC, and the IIS ratio was higher tlian in the control fetuses. These results suggest that the oligoliydramnios produced by an amniotic silunt causes pulmonary hypoplasia, but raises the pulmonary surfactant content of fetal rabbit lung.