ANTENATAL STEROIDS AND NEONATAL OUTCOMES IN CONTROLLED CLINICAL-TRIALS OF SURFACTANT REPLACEMENT

substantial body of scientific data stretching over more than 20 years indicates that prenatal steroids are safe and effective in improving pregnancy outcome among women in premature labor.(1-8) A meta-analysis published in 1990 of more than 3000 infants in 12 different randomize d clinical trials of antenatal steroids conducted before surfactant sh owed conclusively that prenatal steroids significantly reduced necroti zing enterocolitis (NEC), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and neona tal mortality.(8) Nevertheless, prenatal steroids were and still are f ar from universally used among women at risk of preterm labor, particu larly in the United States. The purpose of this article is to describe the results of retrospective analyses of the association of prenatal steroids with perinatal morbidity and mortality among infants enrolled in randomized clinical trials of surfactant replacement therapy.