Effect of phototherapy on hepatic excretory function in newborns as measured by bromsulphalein clearance.

BSP clearance from the plasma was studied during phototherapy in a group of jaundice newborns. This therapy did not have any influence on the plasma dye disappearance c curve. The obtained results are consistent with the hypothesis that this therapy causes the photodegradation of bilirubin, and that the increased excretion of unconjugated bilirubin is not mediated by a generalized enhancement of the hepatic output.