Skin Blood Flow Measured by Laser-Doppler Flowmetry and Venous Occlusion Plethysmography:
Abstract
Cutaneous laser-Doppler flowmetry use includes assessing thermoregulatory effector function and evaluation of clinical and pathologic conditions of the skin circulation. Skin blood flow (SkBF) on the forearm was measured simultaneously by venous occlusion plethysmography (VOP) and laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) during leg exercise. Fifteen subjects were studied at Ta= 300C or 350C for 30 minutes at 50 to 75% peak Vo2. LDF was measured using the Med Pacific LD6OOO, the TSl Laserflo BPM4O3A or Laserflo BPM2 with no local heating of the forearm. After the initial vasoconstriction with exercise onset, SkBF increased linearly during the exercise transient. During steady- state exercise, a non-linear relationship between LDF and VOP was observed in all experiments as SkBF measured by VOP continued to increase as SkBF measured by LDF became stable. Second order regression coefficients of LDF and VOP data were r>O.92 for 13 experiments and r>0.88 for four experiments. These data suggest that LDF may be limited by the anatomically small area for skin blood flow measurement. Alternately, VOP may detect greater arteriolar and resistance vessel vasodilation which occurred later in exercise. These observations are limited to leg exercise under conditions where skin temperature averaged 33-350C.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA300340
Entities
People
- Lou A. Stephenson
- Margaaret A. Kolka
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine