Does Antenatal Administration of Magnesium Sulphate Prevent Cerebral Palsy and Mortality in Preterm Infants? A Study Protocol

The risk of cerebral palsy (CP) is inversely correlated with gestational age at birth [1]. CP is accompanied with life-long consequences for the child, its family and society as a whole. Metaanalyses have indicated that magnesium sulphate may be neuroprotective for the preterm infant, when the drug is given to women at high risk of preterm birth [2,3]. However, this was recently questioned by a trial sequential analysis (TSA), a statistical method which adjusts for risk of random errors [4]. The TSA demonstrated that additional data are needed before accepting magnesium sulphate as evidence-based therapy for women in preterm labour. Our aim is to investigate if antenatal magnesium sulphate administrated to women at risk of preterm birth can protect their children against CP.