PEDIATRIC allergists, numbering, as they invariably do, among their patients a small core of chronically ill, steroid-dependent asthmatic youngsters, have long shown an interest in inhalational steroid therapy, particularly since the adverse effects of long-term oral steroid usage became known. Their hope was that direct application of corticosteroids to the bronchi and subbronchial airways might result in a marked reduction in steroid requirements for this group of patients and, at the same time, might keep systemic absorption to such minimal levels that adrenocortical suppression would not occur. Ultimate weaning off of steroids might thus be facilitated. When a compact aerosol eventually was devised which contained the highly water-soluble dexamethasone-sodium-21-phosphate in a small-particled, relatively tasteless form, it was promptly put to clinical trial in centers in this country and elsewhere where young and old asthmatic patients were under treatment. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the published results of