Transcutaneous bilirubinometry: preliminary studies of noninvasive transcutaneous bilirubin meter in the Okayama National Hospital.

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.