USE OF CLEMENTS’ MODIFIED TEST AND OPTICAL DENSITY IN AMNIOTIC AND ALLANTOID FLUIDS FOR EVALUATION OF PULMONARY MATURITY IN DOGS

Abstract

The premature fetus cannot survive in the extra uterine life due to immaturity of vital organs like the lungs. The aim of this study was to assess lung maturity by Clements’ modified test and optical density of fetal fluids. We obtained 40 samples of amniotic and allantoids fluid of 16 pregnant bitches collected during cesarean section. Adjustments to the Clements’s test improved the analysis of fluids in canine’s species, promoting reliable results for the dilutions (from 0.9 mL to 0.6 mL) with 95% ethanol. In optical density (OD) of fetal fluids we found 0.220 ± 0.190 for the amniotic fluid and 0.250 ± 0.02 for allantoids. This fact is indicative of lung maturity (≥ 0.150) in human medicine. Based on these data it is concluded that basic information about the maturity and viability of canine fetus can be evaluated by Clements’ modified test and optical density of fetal fluids.