Comparison of Newborn Serum Bilirubin Level with two Methods: Chemical and Direct Spectrophotometric

Objective: Bilirubin is the endproduct of heme catabolism. Serum bilirubin level can occationally be the only variable that affects the physician's decision. Bilirubin test is one of the most sensitive tests in the clinical laboratory. The aim of this research was to compare results of chemical versus direct spectrophotometric measurement of serum bilirubin. Material & Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2006 on 119 specimens of serum. Bilirubin levels were determined by four methods: direct spectrophotometric by DAS and clinic II instruments, chemically with dichloroaniline (DCA), and diazo methods. Findings: Mean serum bilirubin measured by DAS, clinicII, diazo, and DCA methods was 8.38 (3.59), 7.80 (3.69), 9.70 (4.06), and 8.17 (4.09) mg/dl respectively. Difference of means was significant when examined using ANOVA (P