Skin and Muscle Blood Flow During Regional Perfusion with Hyperthermal Perfusate

Abstract

It is known that regional perfusion with hyper-thermal perfusate (42d`C) has a better effect than normother-mal perfusate in the treatment of malignant melanoma. This could be an effect of a greater skin blood flow during hyper-thermal perfusion. In the following article, the relation between skin/muscle blood flow during hyperthermal perfusion was studied using a strain-gauge plethysmograph. The relation between skin/muscle blood flow was the same throughout the perfusion. The better effect of hyperthermal perfusion than normothermal in treatment of malignant melanoma is not an effect of a better skin blood flow. A satisfactory circulation and passage of blood in a regionally isolated area is a prerequisite for the successful treatment of malignant tumours with cytostatic perfusion. In the case of malignant skin tumours, it is desirable to obtain as large a skin blood flow as possible, while maintaining only a slight blood flow to the underlying tissues. It is a well-known fact that an increase in the body temperature results in an increase in the blood flow to the skin. In the following experimental series, we investigated the value of hyperthermal perfusion (42d`C) and its effect on the relation, skin blood flow: muscle blood flow. We studied the blood flow in the lower extremities during perfusion with the aid of venous occlusion plethysmography using the strain-gauge technique.