Laboratory Animals > Volume 42, Number 3 > Pp. 305-319

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Hackenbroich, C. Articles by Meyer-Lindenberg, A PubMed PubMed Citation Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Papers

Continual measurement of intramedullary blood perfusion with laser Doppler flowmetry in intact and ostectomized tibiae of rabbits

Ch Hackenbroich ^* , S Wagner ^*, H Windhagen  and A Meyer-Lindenberg ^*

^* Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Anna-von-Borries-Straße, 1-7, D-30625 Hannover, Germany

Correspondence: Ch Hackenbroich. Email: Christian.Hackenbroich{at}tiho-hannover.de

Blood flow is important for the healing of bone fractures. Until now, however, there have been no publications on the daily, continual measurement of intramedullary blood perfusion using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) in the conscious animal. In this study, a model for the daily, continual measurement of intramedullary blood perfusion by LDF and the temperature near the cortex both in intact and ostectomized tibiae in the conscious rabbit is described. The probes for blood perfusion and temperature measurement were implanted permanently at three different localizations into the right tibia of 10 adult New Zealand White rabbits. The probes were held in place by a bilateral, single-plane external fixator. In five of these animals, a midshaft tibial ostectomy was created in order to simulate a fracture. Intramedullary blood perfusion and temperature were measured daily over 49 days.

While in intact tibiae no significant (P > 0.05) differences were found in blood perfusion readings taken at various time points, for mean values or for blood perfusion over time, in ostectomized tibiae the differences were significant: various time points (P = 0.0056), mean values (P = 0.0034) and blood perfusion over time (P = 0.0337). Blood perfusion readings at the centre probe were elevated compared with those at the proximal and distal probes.

Thus, a revascularization in the ostectomy gap during the fracture healing was proven by means of the LDF. No influence of the blood perfusion on the temperature in the ostectomy area could be determined during healing of the ostectomy. The described model seems suitable for the continual measurement of intramedullary blood perfusion both in intact and ostectomized tibiae in the conscious rabbit.

Key Words: Intramedullary blood perfusion • laser Doppler flowmetry • tibia • ostectomy • rabbit

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?