[Threatened premature labor. Account of our recent experience]

We have been using two products, one an alpha-blocker (Vadilex) and the other a beta-stimulating drug (Ritodrine) to treat cases with threatened premature labour. Our experience is with 93 women who were treated in a continuous series. The overall result of our treatment show that 72 per cent of the cases were treated successfully and 28 failed. Analysing these preliminary figures in greater detail we have observed that the prognosis depends mainly on the state of the cervix at the time treatment is started in cases of threatened premature labour. The chances for success are much greater if the cervix is long and closed that if it is taken up or open. Since the trial was not carried out with a "double blind" control, we cannot really tell which of the two products we used was more efficacious.