Capillary blood flow: videodensitometry in the atherosclerotic patient.

Recently the noninvasive technique of videomicroscopy has demonstrated qualitative morphologic changes in the nutritional skin capillaries in atherosclerotic (ATS) patients. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively examine the ATS microcirculation and effects induced by reconstructive surgery. Capillary blood flow velocity (CBV) of single vessels within the nail fold of the large toe was measured by dual-sensor videodensitometry in 14 ATS patients (age 45 to 80 years) and 11 age-matched controls. In addition to CBV, capillary diameter (CD) and the number of flow-active capillaries (FC) were also measured at constant temperature. Of the 14 patients, eight had measurements repeated 1 week after reconstructive surgery. The measurements were obtained at rest and then periodically after a 45-second period of pedal inflow occlusion. Respective group averages at rest for CBV, CD, and FC for the 14 ATS patients were as follows: 0.16 mm/sec, 10.5 micron, and 6.8 capillaries per field. Corresponding values for the control subjects were 0.10 mm/sec, 8.7 micron, and 5.3 capillaries per field. Combining CBV, CD, and FC into a measurement of volume capillary flow yielded a value of 281 pl/sec/mm2 for the patients and only 85 pl/sec/mm2 for the controls (p less than 0.02). Peak postocclusion CBV significantly increased, whereas FC significantly decreased relative to rest in the control group; however, the only patient group that responded to occlusion-induced ischemia was the postoperative group. In these patients there was a decrease in CBV and an increase in FC relative to rest. These responses are exactly opposite to those in the age-matched controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)