Distribution of blood platelets flowing in arterioles.

The distribution of blood platelets flowing in arterioles (21-35 microns) of the mesentery of anesthetized rabbits was studied using intravital fluorescence microscopy. Sites were selected without upstream branch points within at least 10 vessel diameters. The distribution was determined by counting in flashed video frames the number of platelets present in each of six equal segments across the vessel. Only platelets were counted that could be localized objectively within a thin optical section around the median plane of the vessel. It could be shown that differences in counting volume between the six segments were negligible. Because of the use of flashed pictures (flash duration less than 0.1 ms; interval 180 ms), the method is independent of differences in velocity over the cross-sectional area of the vessel. In all measurements (15 sites in 13 vessels in 10 animals) the distribution was nonuniform, the wall segments containing the highest platelet numbers. The general distribution as calculated from all measurements (total platelet number 6,571) and expressed in percentages was found to be 23.0, 14.6, 12.5, 12.1, 13.6, and 24.2.