[Responders and non-responders of surfactant therapy of very small premature infants. A clinical, histopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis].
The administration of surfactants is highly effective and yields an immediate clinical response in cases of a lack of surfactant in the premature lung of preterm infants. The administration of surfactants might diminish the need for intensive care and artificial ventilation thereby also reducing or preventing the severe side effects associated with these therapeutic measures. However, the lack of clear clinical features precludes a reliable predictive forecast of the therapeutic outcome. Only the therapeutic follow-up period can disclose possible damage due to the administration of surfactants. Histological preparations of lung specimens from non-responding infants reveal cellular inflammatory infiltrations, destruction of the alveolo-capillary basement membrane and monocytic phagocytosis.