Determination of Regional Blood Flow in Gastrointestinal Tract of Intact Animals

Abstract

A radioisotopic technic employing CrP32O4, devised to study regional circulation in the gut as applied to the descending colon is described. It utilizes the short range of the beta particle in tissue to limit the blood volume monitored by a special Geiger-Muller tube placed in the intestinal lumen. A small bolus of Crp32O4 is injected intravenously and the blood dilution curve of the isotope registered on the colon probe connected to a counting rate meter is recorded. The volume of isotope-containing blood "seen" by the counter is thus limited to the segment of gut surrounding its anode length.