Bilirubin
Definition
A yellow-orange breakdown product of biliverdin, seen as the yellow-brown phase of a resolving bruise. Its appearance indicates advancing haemoglobin degradation.
Related terms
- Biliverdin
- A green breakdown product of haemoglobin, appearing as the blue-green phase of bruise colour change. Biliverdin is then converted to bilirubin.
- Cross-Polarised Photography
- A photographic technique using polarising filters on both the light source and the camera lens to eliminate surface glare and reveal subsurface...
- Haemoglobin
- The iron-containing oxygen-transport protein in red blood cells, composed of four polypeptide subunits each with a haem prosthetic group. Its pseudoperoxidase activity...
- Oxyhaemoglobin
- The form of haemoglobin in freshly shed arterial blood, where iron in the haem group is in the ferrous (Fe²⁺) state and...
- Tissue Laxity
- The looseness of subcutaneous tissue. High laxity (eyelids, scrotum, elderly skin) allows blood to spread widely from a relatively small vessel injury,...
Explained in
- Ageing of Bruises: Methods and LimitationsA yellow-orange breakdown product of biliverdin, seen as the yellow-brown phase of a resolving bruise. Its appearance indicates advancing haemoglobin degradati...