Single radial immunodiffusion of human placental lactogen and its clinical uses

This paper reported the serum hPL levels in 318 normal and abnormal pregnancies as determined by hPL-single radial immunodiffusion (SRID). The results indicated that serum hPL levels in the normal pregnancies increased with the advance of gestational weeks, while sustained low levels of hPL were observed in most abnormal pregnancies. Serum hPL levels varied with the severity of the pregnancy induced hypertension, fetal weight and the duration of post-term pregnancy. When the serum hPL level of the gestational woman was less than or equal to 4 mg/L, the incidence of low Apgar score was 42% (P less than 0.01). It is thought that measuring serum hPL levels is a useful index for detecting placental insufficiency and predicting fetal prognosis.