Effect of various phototherapy regimens on bilirubin decrement.

Continuous phototherapy in full-term newborns was found to be more effective than intermittent illumination. Treatment efficacy was also related to age and the initial bilirubin level of the infants. In fact, the reported data indicate an increased therapeutic effect in newborns affected with nonhemolytic hyperbilirubinemia who had an initial bilirubin level greater than 15 mg/dl as compared to neonates with an initial bilirubin level less than 15 mg/dl. The light treatment was also more effective in infants older than 3 days, possibly because of an increased ligandin and conjugating capacity. Shielding the hepatic area during illumination significantly decreases the efficiency of this treatment, suggesting that the liver could also be a phototherapeutic action site.