[Assessment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia using a transcutaneous bilirubinometry].

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between total serum bilirubin(TSB) and transcutaneous bilirubinometry(TcB) in neonates with jaundice.

METHOD: TcB from various sites(forehead, sternum, abdomen, buttock, hand, dorsalis-pedia) was measured using a JM-102 in a total of 102 neonate, 42 female and 60 male, with the mean 37.5 gestational week and the mean 2,903 gram of birth weight, as well as TSB from capillary punctures.

RESULT: The mean bilirubin was 11.73 in serum, 20.55 on the forehead, 17.23 on the sternum, 16.19 on the abdomen, 18.22 on the buttock, 15.83 on the hand and 15.49 on the dorsalis-pedia. The relationship between TSB and TcBs were formulated by simple regression with 0.406 < r < 0.668(p <.000). A higher relationship was revealed between TSB and TCB at the forehead in infants of full-term, ABO incompatibility, and Hb greater than 16 mg/dl(r = 0.725, 0.790, and 0.717, retrospectively). Phototherapy altered the measurement of TcB per site.

CONCLUSION

TcB on the forehead is a reliable, noninvasive and convenient measurement of TSB in normal infants(Institutions need to establish quantitative equations representing the specific relationship between TSB and TCB according to the hemodynamic problems of infants such as ABO incompatibility, or low Hb).