Phototherapy for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in "healthy" and "ill" infants.

The effectiveness of phototherapy for nonhemolytic hyperbilirubinemia was evaluated in two groups of closely matched newborns, one group consisting of "healthy" and the other "ill" infants. Phototherapy was equally effective in reducing bilirubin levels in both groups of infants. It would seem to be the treatment of choice in all infants with nonhemolytic hyperbilirubinemia, especially ill infants in whom its simplicity, safety, and effectiveness would make it an ideal form of therapy.