Clinical and cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of 21 patients with serious hyperbilirubinemia

This study aims to compare neurological examination and cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in patients with serious hyperbilirubinemia. Twenty-one serious hyperbiluribinemic term neonates (6 girls, 15 boys) who underwent exchange transfusions were included in the study. Neurological examination findings, body weight, age at admission, blood culture, urine culture, urine analysis, C-reactive protein, thyroxine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, total and indirect bilirubin levels, causes of hyperbilirubinemia (blood group typing, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, blood smear, tandem mass), treatment and duration of follow-up, auditory test results, and cranial MRI findings were evaluated. All patients were term neonates with an average body weight of 2943 +/- 533 g. The mean age at admission was 4.47 +/- 2.22 days, and the mean bilirubin level was 35.0 +/- 10.8 mg/dL. Exchange transfusion was performed once in all, except 4 patients who needed 2 transfusions. Kernicterus findings were found in 76% of patients on neurological examination, and cranial MRI detected a pathological finding in 71% of patients. In 2 patients, cranial MRI showed kernicterus findings, despite normal neurological examination. In contrast, in 3 patients, despite kernicterus findings in neurological examination, cranial MRI was normal. Although cranial MRI has an important place in the diagnosis of kernicterus, it does not always correlate with clinical findings. We believe that studies with larger series are warranted.