ÖZET

Phototherapy is the standard treatment for the control of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of light emitting diode (LED) device with respect to bilirubin photodegradation with commercially used conventional fluorescent tubes phototherapy devi-ce in hyperbilirubinemic neonates by measuring serum bilirubin levels.

Twenty hyperbilirubinemic neonates treated with conventional phototherapy (Group I) and 15 neonates treated with LED phototherapy (Group II) were retrospectively compared. Birth weight, gender, family history, etiology of jaundice, initiation time of phototherapy, total serum bilirubin (TSB) level at the initiation of the therapy and at 4,24 hours and the last TSB level before cessation of pho-totherapy, rebound serum bilirubin level obtained 24 hours of termination of phototherapy and durati-on of phototherapy were recorded. 'Absolute' change and 'relative' percantage change in serum biliru-bin levels were also calculated.

There were significant differences in the absolute change in serum bilirubin level per hour and relative change in serum bilirubin level at 24 hour between group I and group II (p<0.05). Rebound ja-undice was observed in 4 (20%) of the neonates who received conventional phototherapy while it had not been seen in LED phototherapy group (p= 0.006). Duration of phototherapy was shorter in the LED phototherapy group but this was not statistically significant (43.1 vs 32.1hrs).

LED phototherapy was found to be more efficient as they can provide more rapid biliru-bin photodegradation in terms of change in serum bilirubin level per hour of phototherapy and percen-tage change in serum bilirubin level per hour after 24 hours of treatment. The incidence of rebound hyperbilirubinemia with LED phototherapy seems to be less than conventional phototherapy and this may prevent unnecassary rebound bilirubin measurements in non-hemolytic jaundice