Table 7. Cerebral palsy (sensitivity analysis: trials with a primary intent of fetal neuroprotection)*.
| Trial | MgSO4 | Control | Relative risk | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACTOMgSO4 [9] | 36/533 (6.8%) | 42/513 (8.2%) | 0.83 | 0.54–1.28 |
| PREMAG [10] | 22/313 (7.0%) | 30/293 (10.2%) | 0.68 | 0.40–1.17 |
| MAGNET [11]‡ | 3/23 (13.0%) | 0/23 (0%) | – | – |
| BEAM [13] | 43/1,133 (3.8%) | 77/1,203 (6.4%) | 0.59 | 0.41–0.86 |
| Overall† | 101/1,979 (5.1%) | 149/2,009 (7.4%) | 0.68 | 0.53–0.87 |
Abbreviations: ACTOMgSO4, Australasian Collaborative Trial of Magnesium Sulphate; BEAM, Beneficial Effects of Antenatal Magnesium Sulfate; MAGNET, Magnesium and Neurologic Endpoints Trial; MgSO4, magnesium sulphate; PREMAG, PREterm brain protection by MAGnesium sulphate. The denominators exclude the deaths of infants/children.
*Available data (participants were included if the cerebral palsy [CP] outcome was known).
‡The MAGNET neuroprotective study is shown here but did not contribute to the analyses (no events in the control group).
†p-value for heterogeneity = 0.49 (the heterogeneity p-value for 1-stage analyses is from Wald chi-square tests for the interaction between treatment and trial in a generalising estimating equation [GEE] model).