title: Transcutaneous Bilirubinometry in Preterm and Term Newborn Infants before and during Phototherapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the accuracy of transcutaneous bilirubin measurement in a large population of newborn infants, before and during the phototherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied 134 term and 36 preterm newborns. Pre-phototherapy measurements showed a strong correlation (r: 0.929, P < 0.001, Limit of agreement: -1.8 to 3.1) between Bilicheck and serum bilirubin readings. Post-phototherapy correlation between Bilicheck and serum bilirubin readings was (r: 0.921, P < 0.001, LOA: -1.8 to 2.8) among term and (r: 0.887, P = 0.001, LOA: -1.4 to 2.7) among preterm neonates in patched areas. These correlations were (r: 0.666, P < 0.001, LOA: -1.7 to 7.3) among term and (r: 0.756, P < 0.001, LOA: -0.5 to 5.3) preterm neonates post-phototherapy in unpatched areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Imam Hossein Medical Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mitra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radfar
authors.affiliation: Imam Hossein Medical Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. mozhganhashemieh@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mozhgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hashemieh
authors.affiliation: Imam Hossein Medical Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fariba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shirvani
authors.affiliation: Imam Hossein Medical Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Madani
mesh_terms: D001663:Bilirubin / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007492:Iran; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods*; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D047929:Term Birth; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers
chemical_list: D001663:Bilirubin