In Reply: Phototherapy Effect on the Incidence of Patent Ductus Arteriosus

Abstract

I read with interest the article by Rosenfeld et al on the effect of chest shielding during phototherapy on the incidence of patent ductus arteriosus. It seems to me that an important piece of information was left out of their report that may certainly influence the interpretation of the results. The effectiveness of phototherapy is dependent on light intensity and surface area exposed. What was the effect of shielding more than 40% of the available skin surface on the effectiveness of phototherapy? What were the bilirubin levels in both groups? Was there a difference between the groups?