Comparison of treatments for congenital nonobstructive nonhaemolytic hyperbilirubinaemia.

A patient with Crigler-Najjar disease has survived with the help of phototherapy to the age of 2 years without neurological damage. Because long periods of phototherapy are a threat to normal development, a search was made for supplementary treatments. Cholestyramine and a high fat diet were effective, and possibly also aspartic acid. Maintenance therapy with cholestyramine allowed the amount of phototherapy given to be reduced.