[Prenatal lung maturation with corticosteroids--an overview].

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and ist complications are a key factor affecting mortality and immediate and long-term morbidity in preterm babies. Since the observations of Liggins in 1969, numerous investigations have shown that antenatal corticosteroid administration reduces neonatal morbidity. In this review we summarize the known pathophysiological effects of this treatment and their impact on neonatal outcomes. In a second part we focus on the combination corticosteroids plus Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH). The additive use of TRH seems to potentiate corticosteroid effects enhancing lung maturity, as will be shown in an overview of experimental results. The interpretations of the clinical results however show a need for further investigations, which will be done in an European multicenter trial.