ABSTRACT
Previous studies of histologic changes in the lungs of infants with hyaline membrane
(HMD) disease of the newborn treated with surfactant have focused on the occurrence
of hemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Observations in autopsied infants
with HMD suggested a possible acceleration of epithelial cell regeneration in those
receiving surfactant. We studied lungs of the 11 autopsied infants with HMD treated
with surfactant, who survived less than 1 week, and compared them to 22 infants with
HMD not given surfactant. Epithelial cell regeneration, BPD, and airway and interstitial
hemorrhage were graded on a 0-to-3 scale. Treated infants showed significantly more
epithelial cell regeneration (p < 0.05) and airway hemorrhage (p < 0.05). Also, treated infants showed recognizable epithelial regeneration 1 day
earlier than the nontreated group. The study supports the observation that regeneration
of the necrotic respiratory epithelium of HMD is accelerated in infants treated with
surfactant.
Keywords
Hyaline membrane disease - surfactant treatment - bronchopulmonary dysplasia - epithelial
cell regeneration
