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Updated: Sep 2, 2025
Transcutaneous Microcirculatory Imaging in Preterm Neonates
Published on: December 31, 2015
Transcutaneous bilirubin levels in extremely preterm infants less than 30 weeks gestation
Meera N Sankar1, Rangasamy Ramanathan2, Priscilla Joe3
1Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. mnsankar@stanford.edu.
Insights
Transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) effectively screens jaundice in extremely preterm infants. This non-invasive method correlates well with total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels, aiding clinical decisions.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Pediatric Endocrinology
Background:
- Jaundice is common in preterm infants.
- Accurate bilirubin monitoring is crucial for preventing complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the correlation between transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) and total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels.
- To evaluate TcB as a screening tool in extremely preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Prospective multicenter study.
- Inclusion of infants <30 weeks gestation.
- Comparison of paired TcB and TSB values across various infant characteristics and treatment phases.
Main Results:
- TSB values ranged from 0 to 12.6 mg/dl; TcB values ranged from 0 to 14.2 mg/dl.
- High accuracy in predicting TSB from TcB (TSB = 2.37 + 0.54 * TcB, r = 0.786).
- Good correlation observed across subgroups (gestational age, birth weight, race/ethnicity, age) and during/after phototherapy.
Conclusions:
- TcB is a reliable non-invasive screening tool for jaundice in extremely preterm infants.
- Supports the use of TcB for routine jaundice monitoring in this vulnerable population.
Objective:
The primary objective of this study was to determine the relationship between transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) levels and total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels in extremely preterm infants.
Study Design:
We conducted a prospective multicenter study of extremely preterm infants less than 30 weeks gestation in California. Difference between paired TcB and TSB values were compared based on gestational age, birth weight, maternal race/ethnicity, chronological age as well as during and after phototherapy.
Results:
TSB values ranged from 0 to 12.6 mg/dl and the TcB values ranged from 0 to 14.2 mg/dl. TSB was predicted with a high degree of accuracy at TSB = 2.37 + 0.54 (TcB) with r = 0.786. There was good correlation across gestational age, birth weight, race/ethnic, chronological age subgroups as well as during and after phototherapy.
Conclusion:
Our study supports the use of TcB as a screening tool for monitoring jaundice in extremely preterm infants.
