Study on diagnostic value of transcutaneous bilirubinometry in neonate patients

Background and Neonatal icter is one of the most prevalent diseases in neonatal period and may lead to serious important complications such as kern icterus. For appropriate therapeutic approach to these patients, there is need of blood sampling and in some cases, repeated blood sampling, in order to measure bilirubin which causes certain complications such as infection, anemia, pain etc. Therefore non invasive measurement of bilirubin is an interest of researchers. Purpose of this study is to compare between measures of transcutaneous bilirubinometry (TÇB) and serum bilirubin (SB) in neonate patients. This study was a clinical trial and done by simple sampling.was method. Neonates admitted in NÏÇÜ and neonatal ward with clinical indication of measuring bilirubin were studied. Âfter giving instruction to the patients and matching TÇB measuring conditions, rate of bilirubin was labelled on forehead of the patients and serum bilirubin was measared by conventional method. From 105 TÇB and SB measurements, 49.5% were males and 50.5% were females. Gestational age of mother was 31.53 + 3.68 weeks and birth weight 1905.80 ± 778.50 grams. 76.6% of them at the time of sampling were under phototherapy and 18.1% were transfused. General correlation index between SB & TÇB was 0.686 and for females 0.750, birth weight between 1500 to 2500 grams, gestational age between 32 and 36 weeks (0.821) and in patient without phototherapy it was 0.699. Çonclusion: This study revealed that, there is a favorable correlation between transcutaneous bilirubinometry (TÇB) and serum bilirubin (SB) in neonate patients. Thus TÇB can be used as a screening method.