title: Effect of lumbar sympathectomy on muscle blood flow: distribution of perfusion measured by hydrogen clearance in skeletal muscle.
abstract: Measurements of local tissue blood flow using a technique of hydrogen clearance were used to examine the effect of lumbar sympathectomy on skeletal muscle blood flow. Polarographic recordings on 25 hydrogen desaturations were obtained with platinized platinum electrodes. Lumbar sympathectomies were done on five canines leaving the contralateral limb as a control. The hydrogen clearance data were modeled with biexponential curves: the initial rapid component and the second slow component yielded a weighted average perfusion through tissue. Average volumetric blood flow in the control limb was 6.08 +/- 0.45 ml/min/100 g tissue while the sympathectomized limb averaged 9.54 +/- 0.61 ml/min/100 g tissue (p less than 0.005). Average blood flow increases ranged from 33 to 83 percent in the sympathectomized limb over the control limb. This significant increase in muscle blood flow following lumbar sympathectomy, if of prolonged duration, may be cause for re-evaluation of the role of sympathectomy in the management of arteriosclerotic occlusive disease.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000098:blood supply; D006859:Hydrogen; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D009132:Muscles / Q000098:blood supply*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013562:Sympathectomy
chemical_list: D006859:Hydrogen