noun
definition
The use of light to treat disorders of the skin, and certain mood disorders.
Examples of phototherapy in a Sentence
At 14.25 hours the serum bilirubin test showed raised bilirubin test showed raised bilirubin and it was decided to give phototherapy, which was commenced at 16.00 hours.
Artificial ultraviolet light is used to treat skin diseases like psoriasis and is called phototherapy.
It was decided to add phototherapy as a number of overhead warmers include phototherapy.
International Light carries a complete line of phototherapy radiometers for both research and diagnostic applications.
She may need to be treated for jaundice using phototherapy, and of course, other serious medical conditions will be addressed.
The mainstay in treatment of hyperbilirubinemia is phototherapy, which is safe and widely available.
Multiple factors can influence the effectiveness of phototherapy, including the type and intensity of the light and the extent of skin surface exposure.
Since phototherapy acts by altering the bilirubin that is deposited in the tissue, the area of the skin exposed to phototherapy should be maximized.
This has been made more practical with the development of fiberoptic phototherapy blankets that can be wrapped around an infant.
Infants receiving home phototherapy need daily visits by a nurse, who performs a physical examination and measures the total serum bilirubin level.
Discontinuation of home phototherapy is safe once the total serum bilirubin level has decreased to less than 15 mg/dL in healthy full-term infants older than four days.
Office evaluation within two to three days of discontinuing home phototherapy is recommended.
Potential side effects of phototherapy used for elevated bilirubin levels, include watery diarrhea, increased water loss, skin rash, and transient bronzing of the skin.
Full-term infants rarely require an exchange transfusion if intense phototherapy is initiated in a timely manner.
It should be considered if the total serum bilirubin level is approaching 20 mg/dL and continues to rise despite intense in-hospital phototherapy.
If an infant's bilirubin levels are quite high or rising rapidly, phototherapy can prevent complications.
Phototherapy is continued until bilirubin levels have returned to normal, usually within a few days.
Doctors combine UVB treatments with topical medications to treat some patients and sometimes prescribe home phototherapy, in which the parent administers the UVB treatments.
Hyperbilirubinemia is also treated with phototherapy, a treatment in which the baby is placed under a special light.
Other treatments that are sometimes used for atopic dermatitis are tar preparations and ultraviolet light therapy (phototherapy).
Phototherapy with ultraviolet A or B light waves, or a combination of both, may be used to treat older children or adolescents with mild or moderate atopic dermatitis; it is not suitable for infants or younger children.
Some patients who do not respond to ultraviolet light alone benefit from a combination of phototherapy and an oral medication known as psoralen, which makes the skin more sensitive to the light.
Some newborns are placed under special lamps (phototherapy) to help correct the jaundice caused by elevated bilirubin levels and to bring down the bilirubin level.