Measurement of a velocity field in microvessels using a high resolution PIV technique.

Because endothelial cells are subject to flow shear stress, it is important to determine the velocity distribution in microvessels during studies of the mechanical interactions between the blood and the endothelium. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is a quantitative method for measuring velocity fields instantaneously in experimental fluid mechanics. The authors have developed a high-resolution PIV technique that improves the dynamic flow range, spatial resolution, and measurement accuracy. The proposed method was applied to images of the arteriole in the rat mesentery, using an intravital microscope and high-speed digital video system. Taking the mesentery motion into account, the PIV technique was improved to measure red blood cell (RBC) velocity. Velocity distributions with spatial resolutions of 0.8 3 0.8 mm were obtained even near the wall in the center plane of the arteriole. The arteriole velocity profile was blunt in the center region of the vessel cross-section and sharp in the near-wall region. Typical flow features for non-Newtonian fluid are shown.