Prenatal corticosteroid therapy to prevent respiratory distress syndrome.

Recently, an editor observed that the number of clinical trials has multiplied and that several trials of the same treatment may be published serially over a span of 10 years or more. He was not discussing antenatal CS therapy, was he? He added that meta-analysis should decide whether characteristics of patients, their therapies, and outcomes in each trial are comparable. Were they? Neither controlled trials in large numbers nor meta-analysis of these trials have swayed obstetricians toward routine use of antenatal CS as a single intervention. Perhaps the data from studies of combined hormonal therapy or of prenatal-postnatal therapy, or of a combination of both of these approaches will increase the use of antenatal CS. Ironically, maybe a retrospective study will provide the stimulus. Time will tell.