Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology
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Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol · Sep 2013
Review Meta AnalysisWhat do we know about the natural outcomes of preterm labour? A systematic review and meta-analysis of women without tocolysis in preterm labour.
Current knowledge of the natural outcomes of untreated women in preterm labour is both incomplete and outcomes vary significantly between the available studies. The aim of this study was to systematically review outcomes of preterm labour without tocolysis and determine if outcome variation could be accounted for by differences in study populations. Such data could potentially assist in the interpretation of intervention trials that do not include a no-treatment arm. ⋯ Most women without tocolysis do not deliver within 7 days, although the range is very wide. The majority of this variation is unrelated to reported differences in study design or reported population characteristics.