Clinical usefulness of high intensity green light phototherapy in the treatment of neonatal jaundice.

Two matched groups of term newborn infants with idiopathic jaundice were subjected to intensive double direction green or blue light phototherapy (PT). The efficacy of treatment was expressed as rate of decline of serum bilirubin concentration after 6, 12 and 24 h of light exposure. More rapid response was obtained using conventional blue lamps (Philips TL/20W/52) than green lamps (Sylvania F20T12/G). Whole duration of PT was significantly shorter using blue lamps (P less than 0.05). However, less postphototherapy rebound was observed in babies treated with green light PT. It can be concluded that green light PT is useful but not preferable to blue light PT for clinical use in the treatment of neonatal jaundice.