Limitations of laser-Doppler velocimetry and reflectance spectrophotometry in estimating gastric mucosal blood flow.

This study investigated the accuracy of laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDV) and reflectance spectrophotometry (RS) measurements as an index of blood flow in the gastric mucosa of the rat, in experimental conditions such as pharmacologically induced vasoconstriction, hypoxia, hyperoxia, and acute normovolemic anemia. Hydrogen gas clearance was used as a reference method. After vasopressin infusion, LDV signal and indexes of hemoglobin (IHb) and oxygen (ISO2) content in the gastric mucosa estimated by RS significantly decreased in parallel with the reduction of gastric mucosal blood flow (GMBF). Neither hypoxia (5% O2 administration) nor hyperoxia (100% O2) affected GMBF or LDV signal. However, both IHb and ISO2 significantly decreased or increased after hypoxia or hyperoxia, respectively. Acute normovolemic anemia induced a significant increase in GMBF, while LDV signal and ISO2 remained unchanged. IHb significantly decreased in linear relationship with the decrements in the hematocrit. It is concluded that 1) in pharmacologically induced GMBF changes, LDV and RS correlate with GMBF; 2) when changes in hemoglobin saturation are induced, LDV but not RS reflects GMBF; and 3) in acute normovolemic anemia, neither LDV nor RS reflects changes in GMBF.