Abstract
Introduction Premature births have a significantly increased risk of developing cerebral palsy.
This clinical picture involves great restrictions and impairments in the lives of
the children and their families. Its prevention is therefore of great importance.
One method of neuroprotection to reduce the rate of infantile cerebral palsy is the
antenatal
administration of magnesium sulfate to the mother. The aim of this paper is to present
the current state of research of existing reviews and meta-analyses on the topic and
to review the
evidence for this intervention.
Material and Methods A literature search was conducted within the framework of an umbrella review in the
electronic database PubMed in February 2022 to identify all relevant
publications on the topic. The search was structured using the PRISMA statement. The
important methodological characteristics and the results of the studies were then
extracted. In
addition, a quality assessment of the studies was performed using the AMSTAR score.
Results Two systematic reviews with meta-analysis, one systematic review, and one individual
participant data meta-analysis were included in this study. The total number of
subjects was n = 6178. The publications conclude that the antenatal administration
of magnesium sulfate to the mother significantly reduces the risk of cerebral palsy
in preterm infants.
Due to the high quality of 3 of the 4 studies, a high level of evidence can be assumed.
Conclusion The evidence for antenatal magnesium sulfate administration for the prophylaxis of
cerebral palsy in preterm infants is high. However, further research is needed to
determine which doses of magnesium and up to which gestational age the administration
is useful.
Keywords neuroprotection - preterm birth - magnesium sulfate - evidence - umbrella review -
PRISMA - AMSTAR score
