Antenatal hormone therapy for fetal lung maturation.

In summary, several agents have been studied, but only CS and thyroid hormones have been found to accelerate fetal lung maturation in animal studies. Thirty years of research has documented the beneficial effect of antenatal CS on fetal lung maturation, and antenatal steroid in combination with postnatal surfactant remains the mainstay of prevention and therapy for RDS in preterm infants. The efficacy and safety of postnatal steroids have yet to be demonstrated. Unfortunately, the addition of antenatal TRH to this regimen has not provided further benefit to the neonatal outcome of preterm infants as evidenced by the recently completed multicenter trials. In addition, the optimal number of courses of antenatal CS for lung maturation remains unclear.