Diagnostic value of the lung surfactant in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Morphological, physic-chemical and immunohistochemical properties of the lung surfactant from 50 corpses of infants aged 1 month to 1 year were studied. In the babies with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) the physic-chemical studies have shown pronounced decrease of the surfactant stability. Immunohistochemistry revealed decreased expression of surfactant protein B in most cases of SIDS, which is probably due to qualitative changes in lung surfactant. The comprehensive studies of lung surfactant of infants may contribute to clarifying the degree of risk and more accurately determining the causes of death in some cases of sudden infant death. This will help reduce the risk of diagnostic errors, i.e., hypo- or over-diagnosis SIDS and is of practical importance for forensic examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]