A. Kumar et al., TRANSCUTANEOUS BILIRUBINOMETRY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BILIRUBINEMIA IN TERM NEONATES, INDIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, 99, 1994, pp. 227-230
One hundred full term babies of both sexes were randomly selected for
transcutaneous bilirubin index (TcBI) estimation at the forehead at 12
-24 h intervals from the time of appearance of clinical jaundice till
the serum bilirubin levels fell within safe limits. TcBI was correlate
d with serum bilirubin estimated by conventional diazo method. Forty b
abies required phototherapy, in 20 an area of 2.5 cm2 over the forehea
d was covered during phototheraphy to make an unexposed 'window' for T
cBI estimation. The other 20 newborns received phototherapy as such an
d TcBI was estimated on the forehead. There was a linear relationship
between serum bilirubin level and TcBI estimated at the forehead (r =
0.9090; P < 0.001). Further a significant linear correlation between p
rephototherapy and post-phototherapy (covered and uncovered groups) Tc
BI and serum bilirubin levels also existed (r = 0.7979; P < 0.001). Th
ere was no significant difference between post-phototherapy TcBI estim
ated at the covered and uncovered areas of forehead. However, post-pho
totherapy values of TcBI were significantly lower than corresponding p
rephototherapy values at higher serum bilirubin levels (> 16 mg/dl).