[Effectiveness of prolonged uterine relaxation by betamimetic drugs for threatened premature labour (author's transl)].

It is statistically proven that long-term administered betamimetic drugs inhibit excessive uterine activity, but for the individual subject the extent of this effect can hardly be predicted. By studying 167 pregnancies treated for threatened premature labour it is confirmed that the success rate of the tocolytic treatment depends strictly on the clinical feature of the condition as observed on admission. By use of a simple scheme for classification of success, correlations with the importance of the syndrome at start of the treatment as well as with the neonatal outcome are established. These correlations thus allow one to determine individually the neonatal chances even at onset of the tocolytic treatment.