title: Evidence of bidirectional flow in the sciatic vasa nervorum.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether bidirectional flow exists in the sciatic vasa nervorum. Images obtained using high-frequency color Doppler ultrasound in duplex imaging mode (Vevo 2100) were studied retroactively. In Fig. 1 (left panel; rat 1), the color Doppler signal and flow-velocity waveforms are indicative of pulsatile flow traveling towards (B) and away (C) from the probe. In the right panel (Fig. 1; rat 2), there appears to be three distinct vessels, reflective of non-pulsatile negative flow (D), and pulsatile positive (E) and negative (F) flows. These data confirm the presence of bidirectional arterial flow in the sciatic vasa nervorum. Investigating bidirectional flow in the intact whole nerve may be helpful in elucidating novel features of nerve blood flow control in healthy and diseased states.
authors.affiliation: Neurovascular Research Laboratory, School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada. Electronic address: tolver@uwo.ca.
authors.forename: Dylan T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Olver
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Medical Biophysics and Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada. Electronic address: jlacefie@uwo.ca.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lacefield
authors.affiliation: Neurovascular Research Laboratory, School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada. Electronic address: kshoemak@uwo.ca.
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Shoemaker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005947:Glucose / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000098:blood supply*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D014650:Vasa Nervorum / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005947:Glucose; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Bidirectional blood flow; Color Doppler; Doppler ultrasound; Nerve blood flow; Nerve vascular supply; Nutrient Supply; Rat anatomy; Reverse blood flow; Sciatic nerve; Vasa nervorum