[Comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of various schedules of phototherapy in premature newborn infants with hyperbilirubinemia].

As many as 118 premature neonates weighing from 900 to 2500 g at birth, afflicted with hyperbilirubinemia were examined. In 80 children, the use of phototherapy (PT) appeared an indispensable condition of the treatment of jaundice. The regimen of radiation varied: 28 children received intermittent treatment lasting 24 hours; 52 children were given continuous treatment, with the period of radiation amounting to 48 or 72 hours. Part of the children were on PT combined with alpha-tocopherol acetate. Bilirubin concentration in the blood serum, lipid peroxidation, the lipid and phospholipid spectra of red blood cell membranes were used as criteria for the treatment efficacy. The highest therapeutic effect was attained in the children who received continuous radiation lasting 48 hours. The efficacy of PT turned out enhanced on its combination with alpha-tocopherol acetate.