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Effect of antenatal corticosteroids on postmortem brain weight of preterm babies
1Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Bristol, St. Michael's Hospital, Southwell St., Bristol BS2 8EG, UK. d.j.murphy@bristol.ac.uk
Objectives:
To investigate the effects of single and repeated courses of antenatal corticosteroids on brain growth in very preterm babies.
Design:
Retrospective study of 110 very preterm babies delivered at a single University Teaching Hospital between 1992 and 1999 who had a full necropsy including detailed examination of the brain.
Results:
Mean brain weight did not differ significantly between babies who received corticosteroids and those who did not 160 vs. 157 g, (p=0.82), nor was there a difference between mean brain weight of stillborn or liveborn babies in relation to steroid use 164 vs. 159 g, (p=0.84) and 156 vs. 152g (p=0.81). There was no apparent dose-response relationship between the total number of doses of corticosteroids or timing since the first dose of corticosteroids and brain weight, p=0.95 and p=0.87.
Conclusions:
Single and multiple courses of antenatal corticosteroids had no significant effect on brain growth in babies delivered preterm who died but long-term follow-up studies are required to evaluate the functional neurological outcome of surviving children.