ArticleBMC pediatrics2020
The forehead is a better site than the sternum to check transcutaneous bilirubin during phototherapy in sick infants.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Transcutaneous bilirubinometry versus total serum bilirubin measurement for newborns.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Evaluation of transcutaneous bilirubin levels in healthy and preeclamptic pregnancies: a pilot study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Evaluation of the Accuracy of Transcutaneous Bilirubinometry on the Forehead, Sternum, Interscapular Region, Ear Cartilage, and Wrist and Comparison with Total Serum Bilirubin in Newborns with GA Above 30 W in Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Isfahan, Iran.Advanced biomedical research · 2025Article
- Transcutaneous bilirubin reliability during and after phototherapy depending on skin color.European journal of pediatrics · 2024Observational
- Optimal site for applying transcutaneous bilirubinometer as an outpatient screening tool for neonatal jaundice: a comparison between the sternum and forehead.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2024Article
- Demystifying non-invasive approaches for screening jaundice in low resource settings: a review.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Review
- The Impact of Phototherapy on the Accuracy of Transcutaneous Bilirubin Measurements in Neonates: Optimal Measurement Site and Timing.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Efficacy of transcutaneous bilirubinometry as compared to serum bilirubin in preterm newborn during phototherapy.European journal of pediatrics · 2021Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTo confirm the accuracy of transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) in the neonatal intensive care unit both with and without phototherapy, and compare forehead and sternum as the TcB assessment site.
methodsWe simultaneously assessed the total serum bilirubin (TSB) and TcB at the forehead and sternum, using a JM-103 bilirubinometer. We analyzed the correlation between the TSB and TcB assessed at the forehead and sternum, with measurements classified as 'without phototherapy' (before phototherapy and > 24 hours after phototherapy discontinuation) and 'with phototherapy' (after 24 hours of phototherapy).
resultsThere were 1,084 paired forehead and sternum TcB measurements, with the corresponding TSB measurement, from 384 infants. Their mean gestational age of 35.4 ± 3.2 weeks (62% were preterm) and a mean birth weight of 2434 ± 768 grams, and TSB was 6.61 ± 3.56 mg/dL. Without phototherapy, TcB values at the forehead and sternum were correlated well to the TSB value (r = 0.925 and 0.915, respectively). With phototherapy, TcB values at the forehead and sternum were significantly correlated with the TSB value, but TcB at the forehead (r = 0.751) was a better match to the TSB than was TcB at the sternum (r = 0.668). Additionally, Bland-Altman plots showed a greater degree of underestimation of the TSB by TcB at the sternum with phototherapy.
conclusionsTcB was more accurate in infants not receiving phototherapy. During phototherapy, it is better to assess TcB at the forehead rather than at the sternum.
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