Application of optical diffusion theory to transcutaneous bilirubinometry

Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia affects more than half of tile newborns and represents a potentially serious condition due to the toxicity of bilirubin to the central nervous system. A precise non-invasive technique for the monitoring of bilirubin concentration is desirable for the treatment of icteric babies. Transcutaneous bilirubinometry based on optical reflectance spectra is complicated bg the superposition of the spectral absorption properties of melanin and haemoglobin with those of bilirubin. Diffusion theory forms a suitable model for the description of light propagation in tissue. in this treatment, an inverse diffusion approach is developed to measure bilirubin concentration in tissue by means of the reflectance spectrum, First results of its application to in vivo measurements are encouraging.