Antenatal corticosteroids in preterm premature rupture of membranes.

It is clear that there is no unequivocal indication for the use of antenatal corticosteroids in the preterm gestation with PROM. Extrapolating the effects seen in gestations with intact membranes, however, there are potential benefits in reduction of neonatal respiratory disease and intracranial hemorrhage at the expense of increased risks of maternal postpartum infection. Because the lifetime harm from the neonatal grave and the sequelae of infection in the mother are usually mild, we recommend that antenatal corticosteroids be administered to patients with PPROM between the gestational ages of 24-33 weeks in the absence of frank maternal or fetal infection or fetal compromise. With the increasing acceptance of antenatal corticosteroid therapy, it is unlikely that any further prospective randomized trials will be possible because withholding corticosteroids may expose patients to unacceptable potential harm. Therefore, clinical judgments may have to made based solely on the limited data presently available. Hopefully, future clinical investigations will provide useful information about the relation between antenatal corticosteroids and perinatal infections of the mother and infant in the setting of prophylactic antibiotic exposure. Additionally, there is also a need for information establishing a clinical profile for the patient with PPROM that accurately predicts when she is likely to enter spontaneous labor, thus allowing clinicians to increase the likelihood of appropriately administering corticosteroids within 1 week of delivery to maximize potential neonatal benefit.