Transcutaneous Bilirubinometry: Preliminary Studies of Noninvasive Transcutaneous Bilirubin Meter in the Okayama National Hospital

Abstract

A new noninvasive bilirubinometer (Tc BM), which measures transcutaneous bilirubin level of the newborn, was developed as a joint effort by the present authors and the Minolta Camera Company, Ltd. A series of linear relationships were found to exist between total serum bilirubin concentration and yellowish skin color intensity in both term and low-birth-weight infants of Japanese ancestry. The instrument was examined for precision, accuracy, and technique-dependence. From these resulting relationships, it can be concluded that the transcutaneous bilirubin measurement is precise and accurate, and will become an alternative to the routine procedures used to measure serum bilirubin concentration in the near future. Although the values obtained during phototherapy or postexchange stage do not correlate well with serum bilirubin measurement, transcutaneous bilirubin will be accepted by the general nursery staffs because of its potential screening value.

Hyperbilirubinemia in preterm infants in Japan: New treatment criteria

“…Established hyperbilirubinemia management strategies in term newborns are listed in Table 1. A transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurement was developed by Yamanouchi et al in 1980 and used as a screen for hyperbilirubinemia. 1,2 Two major sets of treatment criteria based on total serum bilirubin (TSB) alone or TSB and serum unbound bilirubin (UB) were developed and became popular in Japan, [2][3][4] one of which, using TSB and UB reference values, was developed by Nakamura et al in 1992 (Table 2).…”

“…A transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurement was developed by Yamanouchi et al in 1980 and used as a screen for hyperbilirubinemia. 1,2 Two major sets of treatment criteria based on total serum bilirubin (TSB) alone or TSB and serum unbound bilirubin (UB) were developed and became popular in Japan, [2][3][4] one of which, using TSB and UB reference values, was developed by Nakamura et al in 1992 (Table 2). 4,5 Treatment methods for hyperbilirubinemia using phototherapy (PT) and exchange blood transfusion (ET) were established.…”

Transcutaneous Bilirubinometry: Variability of TcB Measurements on the Forehead with Crying

“…Other contributing factors may be a hemodynamic effect, that of hemoconcentration, and changes of skin color during crying as Lucey et a1 [5] have suggested. However, it is impossible for skin bilirubin to move directly from the skin tissues to the blood or elsewhere during crying; another study [7] has suggested that bilirubin in the skin cannot move easily, but takes several hours.…”

Cutaneous colorimetric evaluation of serum concentrations of bilirubin in healthy term neonates: a new methodological approach

“…Many techniques, such as spectrophotometry and colorimetry, have been used in dermatology to study skin colour in health and disease (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). They have been used to study response to UV radiation (evaluation of phototype and minimum erythemal dose), to assess drugs for treating inflammation and erythema, and to examine the correlation between transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurements and serum concentrations of bilirubin (SB) in newborns with a view to reducing the need for blood samples (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13). Unlike adults, newborn infants have thin translucent skin, enabling clinical observation of certain conditions, such as hyperbilirubinaemia.…”