Objective: A comparison between the efficacy of intravascular betamethasone phosphate versus intra muscular betamethasone phosphate on neonates in the cases of emminant preterm birth.
Design: double blind randomized clinical trial.
Setting and conduct: Eligible women will be randomly assigned in the two groups of A and B. In group A, 12 mg intra muscular betamethasone phosphate and in group B, 12 mg slow IV betamethasone phosphate will be prescribed .
Participants:The women with eminent preterm labor.
Inclusion criteria: estational age of 26-34 weeks; singleton pregnancy; cervical dilatation of equal or more than 3-4 cm and emminant preterm birth or delivery during less than 24 hours.
Exclusion criteria: known allergy for betamethazone; history of any known maternal systemic disorders like hypertension, diabetes, liver and cardiac disease, renal failure and neoplasia.
Intervention: In group A, 12 mg intra muscular betamethasone phosphate and in group B, 12 mg slow IV betamethasone phosphate will be prescribed .
Main outcome measures: preterm neonates of the two groups will be compared according to respiratory distress syndrome, intra ventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, neonatal sepsis, neonatal death, NICU admission, duration of NICU stay, and duration of maternal hospital stay.