Cerebral blood flow in the fetal guinea-pig.
To measure brain blood flow in the fetal guinea-pig, radioactive microspheres were injected in the lateral saphenous vein whilst a reference sample of blood was withdrawn from the right axillary artery. Measurements were made near term of pregnancy, on the 60th-66th day, during anaesthesia with pentobarbitone and diazepam. Fetal blood pressure was 4.25 +/- 0.12 kPa and fetal heart rate was 250 +/- 7 beats per min. The arterial oxygen content varied between 1.9-5.1 mmol 1(-1). Blood flow to the whole brain (mean 1.13 +/- 0.14 ml min-1 g-1) was significantly correlated to the reciprocal of arterial oxygen content (r = 0.84). Four regions of the brain were examined: the cerebral hemispheres, the cerebellum, the thalamus and midbrain, and the pons and medulla. In each region blood flow was inversely related to arterial oxygen content (r = 0.80-0.83) but the rate of perfusion of the brain stem was greater than that of the cerebral hemispheres or cerebellum.
Carter
A M
AM
Department of Physiology, University of Odense, Denmark.
Gu
W
W
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000032:analysis; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006339:Heart Rate; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013045:Species Specificity
D010100:Oxygen