Noninvasive, quantitative determination of muscle blood flow in man by a combination of venous-occlusion plethysmography and computed tomography

Abstract

Because of the lack of non-invasive methods for measuring muscle blood flow, quantitative investigations of blood flow in the skeletal muscle of hypertensive subjects are rare. We therefore developed a new method for the determination of muscle blood flow noninvasively and quantitatively by a combination of computed tomography and venous occlusion plethysmography (strain-gauge method). Results thus derived were compared with data from the literature Cooper et al. (17). At rest there was neither a significant difference in F_p (own results: 3.62±1.67, Cooper: 3.25±1.42 ml/100 ml tissue x min, means±S.D.) nor in F_M (4.08±2.07 and 3.66±1.57 ml/100 ml muscle x min, respectively), however, F_p and F_M were significantly different (pM was 13% greater than F_p, range: −40 to +38% (Cooper 15%, range: −17 to +43%). The individual difference could not be predicted by any of the parameters. Testing the procedure by means of a pharmacological agent (clonidine) with known effects on muscle blood flow (no change) and skin blood flow (decrease) revealed the correct reproduction of this hemodynamic pattern with our method. The usual identification of total with muscle blood flow would have led to false conclusions.