THE EFFECT OF TOPICAL VASODILATING AGENTS ON MICROVASCULAR VESSEL DIAMETER IN THE RAT MODEL

Topical vasodilating agents maximize blood flow and prevent vasospasm in microvascular tissue-transfer procedures, Two commonly used agents are papaverine and lidocaine. Although these drugs have vasodilating p roperties, no studies have directly compared their vasodilating abilit ies in a controlled, in vivo model. We used videomicroscopy and direct microscopic measurements to compare the vasodilating capacity of papa verine, 1% lidocaine, and saline solution in the femoral artery of Spr ague-Dawley rats. Degree of maximum dilation, ability to sustain dilat ion, average dilation over a 10-minute period, and time to achieve max imum dilation were considered. Both papaverine and lidocaine were foun d to be superior to saline solution as vasodilating agents, Papaverine was found to sustain vasodilation longer than lidocaine, suggesting t hat it is a superior vasodilating agent in microvascular anastomoses.