Prepared and published by Update Software Ltd . All rights reserved. Cochrane reviews are regularly checked and updated if necessary.
Preterm infants are at risk of periventricular haemorrhage.
This can be a sign of brain damage that might lead to neurodevelopmental abnormalities, including cerebral palsy. Phenobarbital might prevent ischaemic injury or reduce fluctuations in blood pressure and blood flow in the brain. The objective of this review was to assess the benefits and harms of giving phenobarbital to women at risk of imminent very preterm birth with the primary aim of preventing periventricular haemorrhage in the infant. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and bibliographies. Assessments of trial eligibility, quality and data extractions were done by the two authors independently.