Maternal indomethacin therapy in the treatment of polyhydramnios.

Fifteen patients with polyhydramnios and clinical symptoms related to excess amniotic fluid volume were treated with indomethacin therapy that was started at a mean gestational age of 27.4 +/- 2.79 weeks and discontinued at a mean gestational age of 32.9 +/- 1.83 weeks. Patients were treated with 2.0 to 2.2 mg of indomethacin per kilogram of body weight per day, either orally or by rectal suppositories. No therapy was administered after 35 weeks, and the duration of therapy was no longer than 4 weeks. The majority of fluid reduction occurred within the first week of treatment. Subsequently, a smaller but steady reduction of fluid was observed. All patients were delivered after 38 weeks with a mean birth weight of 3543 +/- 586.3 gm. Examinations of newborns at birth and follow-up at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year revealed no adverse effects of indomethacin administration.