Measurement of femoral head microcirculation by laser Doppler flowmetry.

Perfusion of the capital femoral epiphysis was measured by laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) in a series of skeletally immature pigs. After induction of balanced general anesthesia, selective occlusion of the arterial blood supply to the hip was performed with continuous monitoring by a laser Doppler probe applied to the articular surface of the femoral head. The lateral femoral circumflex artery, a main branch of the superficial femoral artery in the pig, was largely responsible for femoral head perfusion in eight of nine pigs, according to LDF measurements. This finding was confirmed by postmortem silicone rubber injections and Spalteholz preparations of the femoral heads.