Vaginal Indomethacin for Preterm Labor

Summary

Indometacin is a cyclooxygenase agent from the NSAID family that has been used to treat preterm contractions since the 70's by preventing the synthesis of prostaglandins. It has been shown to be significantly more effective than placebo and postpone labor for 7-10 days, prolong pregnancies above 37 weeks of gestation and reduce numbers of small for gestational age neonates. Nifedipine is a calcium channel blocker agent that has been shown to reduce rates of labor within 48 hours from treatment. Previous studies comparing rectal Indometacin to oral nifedipine were inconclusive. Prostaglandins are synthesized in the uterus and the uterine cervix and therefore local administration of Indometacin may be more effective than other forms of administration, as been shown in a previous study. In this study we aim to compare vaginal Indometacin administration to a commonly used tocolytic agent, nifedipine.

Timeline

Start

2020-10

Primary completion

2024-04

Completion

2025-04

Publications

• Background Niebyl JR, Blake DA, White RD, Kumor KM, Dubin NH, Robinson JC, Egner PG. The inhibition of premature labor with indomethacin. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1980 Apr 15;136(8):1014-9. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(80)90629-8.
• Background Zuckerman H, Shalev E, Gilad G, Katzuni E. Further study of the inhibition of premature labor by indomethacin. Part II double-blind study. J Perinat Med. 1984;12(1):25-9. doi: 10.1515/jpme.1984.12.1.25.
• Background Besinger RE, Niebyl JR, Keyes WG, Johnson TR. Randomized comparative trial of indomethacin and ritodrine for the long-term treatment of preterm labor. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1991 Apr;164(4):981-6; discussion 986-8. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(91)90569-d.
• Background Haas DM, Imperiale TF, Kirkpatrick PR, Klein RW, Zollinger TW, Golichowski AM. Tocolytic therapy: a meta-analysis and decision analysis. Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Mar;113(3):585-594. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e318199924a.
• Background O'Brien WF. The role of prostaglandins in labor and delivery. Clin Perinatol. 1995 Dec;22(4):973-84.
• Background Bry K, Hallman M. Prostaglandins, inflammation, and preterm labor. J Perinatol. 1989 Mar;9(1):60-5.
• Background Abramov Y, Nadjari M, Weinstein D, Ben-Shachar I, Plotkin V, Ezra Y. Indomethacin for preterm labor: a randomized comparison of vaginal and rectal-oral routes. Obstet Gynecol. 2000 Apr;95(4):482-6. doi: 10.1016/s0029-7844(99)00578-5.
• Background Flenady V, Wojcieszek AM, Papatsonis DN, Stock OM, Murray L, Jardine LA, Carbonne B. Calcium channel blockers for inhibiting preterm labour and birth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Jun 5;2014(6):CD002255. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002255.pub2.
• Background Reinebrant HE, Pileggi-Castro C, Romero CL, Dos Santos RA, Kumar S, Souza JP, Flenady V. Cyclo-oxygenase (COX) inhibitors for treating preterm labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Jun 5;2015(6):CD001992. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001992.pub3.
• Background Kashanian M, Bahasadri S, Zolali B. Comparison of the efficacy and adverse effects of nifedipine and indomethacin for the treatment of preterm labor. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2011 Jun;113(3):192-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2010.12.019. Epub 2011 Apr 1.
• Background Klauser CK, Briery CM, Keiser SD, Martin RW, Kosek MA, Morrison JC. Effect of antenatal tocolysis on neonatal outcomes. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2012 Dec;25(12):2778-81. doi: 10.3109/14767058.2012.714819. Epub 2012 Aug 20.
• Background Klauser CK, Briery CM, Martin RW, Langston L, Magann EF, Morrison JC. A comparison of three tocolytics for preterm labor: a randomized clinical trial. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2014 May;27(8):801-6. doi: 10.3109/14767058.2013.847416. Epub 2013 Oct 11.
• Wilson A, Hodgetts-Morton VA, Marson EJ, Markland AD, Larkai E, Papadopoulou A, Coomarasamy A, Tobias A, Chou D, Oladapo OT, Price MJ, Morris K, Gallos ID. Tocolytics for delaying preterm birth: a network meta-analysis (0924). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Aug 10;8(8):CD014978. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD014978.pub2.

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