Jaundice is a common health problem in newborns and small infants, and most jaundice requiring pediatric surgical treatment is obstructive jaundice – i.e., elevated direct bilirubin – so it is not enough to simply measure transdermal bilirubin in a jaundiced child. In children with elevated direct bilirubin, the diagnosis of obstructive jaundice can be made if the direct bilirubin accounts for more than 80% of the total bilirubin, and attention should be paid to the color of the stool, at which point the child should be seen in pediatric surgery.