Transcutaneous Bilirubinometry in Preterm and Term Newborn Infants before and during Phototherapy

To evaluate the accuracy of transcutaneous bilirubin measurement in a large population of newborn infants, before and during the phototherapy.
PATIENTS AND A single Bilicheck instrument was used for transcutaneous measurements. A photo-opaque patch was positioned over the measurement site prior to starting phototherapy. Transcutaneous bilirubinometry was conducted on an unpatched area of the forehead skin and on the nearby site covered by the photo-opaque patch. Readings were obtained from patched and unpatched areas and simultaneous total serum bilirubin concentrations were compared.
We studied 134 term and 36 preterm newborns. Pre-phototherapy measurements showed a strong correlation (r: 0.929, P BiliCheck can be safely used for the evaluation of bilirubin levels in preterm and term newborn infants under phototherapy. BiliCheck is slightly less reliable among preterm newborns.