Preterm Labor: Prediction and Treatment (Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America, September 2005, Vol. 32, No. 3) (Volume 32-3)

Preterm labor is the most common, catastrophic, and costly complication of pregnancy.  It is responsible for the bulk of maternal antenatal hospital admissions and neonatal morbidity/mortality.  This issue contains state-of-the-art information as it regards to standard methodology for diagnosing patients at risk for early delivery as well as a thorough explanation of all the advances in tocolytic treatment of women who go on to develop preterm labor.  While it is exhaustively referenced and scientifically supported, this data will allow the practicing clinician to use these available techniques in a practical way to obtain the very best results for patients at risk for preterm delivery.