title: Comparative extraocular muscle blood flow.
abstract: This study was designed to quantitatively determined blood flow to the extraocular muscles (EOM) of animals showing a wide range of ocular motility Blood-flow values (ml/minute/gm) for EOM in primates (0.25 +/- 0.03), dogs (0.33 +/- 0.06), sheep (0.12 +/- 0.01), and geese (0.12 +/- 0.04) were determined using the Reference Sample Method with 15 +/- 3 micrometer 103Ru microspheres and complete cardiovascular monitoring. Mammalian EOM blood flow was significantly higher than that determined for other skeletal muscle; however, EOM blood-flow values for sheep were significantly lower than those for primates and dogs. No significant blood-flow differences were found between avian EOM and other skeletal muscle, reflecting the unique avian ocular anatomy. These data indicate that high blood flow is not a general property of EOM and suggest a relationship between functional ocular motility and blood flow.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002520:Cercopithecidae / Q000502:physiology*; D004285:Dogs / Q000502:physiology*; D005777:Geese / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000098:blood supply; D009801:Oculomotor Muscles / Q000098:blood supply*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012756:Sheep / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity