Long-term hospitalization and β-mimetic therapy in the treatment of intrauterine growth retardation of unknown etiology

A group of 98 third trimester pregnant women whose ultrasonographic studies raised the suspicion of intra-uterine fetal growth retardation was studied. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups: Group A (Treatment group: 44 patients) and Group B (Control group: 54 patients). All patients were admitted to the hospital upon diagnosis for baseline evaluation. Those in Group A remained in the hospital until delivery (mean stay 15 + 5 days) and received treatment with 10 mg/t. i. d. of p. o. ritodrine. Group B patients were discharged after an average stay of 7 + 3 days. This group was not treated with ritodrine, and they were seen weekly in an outpatient setting. The prevalence of low-birth-weight infants for their gestational age was 47.73% in the treatment group and 40.74% in the control group. Of the deliveries in the treatment group, 40.9% were induced (half for fetal indications). In the control group 35.18% of the induced labors was (47.35% for fetal indications). Of the cases in the treatment group 18.18% were delivered by cesarean section, of which 62.5% were performed for fetal distress. The control group showed similar figures: 16.66% cesarean sections with 77.7% of them done for fetal distress. We observed an incidence of 20.45% of acute fetal distress in the study group against 12.96% in the control group. Such a difference is not statistically significant. The group under study demonstrated a rate of 6.82% pathological pH value in the umbilical artery, while the rate of abnormal values in the control group was 18.52%. In both groups, the greatest percentage of acidotic pH was observed in patients with IGR. From these results we cannot infere any advantage of prolonged hospital stay with oral ritodrine administration in the treatment of intrauterine fetal growth retardation of unknown etiology. © 1988 by Walter de Gruyter & Co.