CIRCULATION IN CORTICOCANCELLOUS BONE-GRAFTS MEASURED WITH LASER-DOPPLER FLOWMETRY - AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY IN RATS

Laser Doppler flowmetry has been evaluated for measurement of the micr ocirculation (flux) in corticocancellous bone grafts. Corticocancellou s tibial grafts were transplanted between four donor and eight recipie nts rats of two histocompatibility-mismatched strains. The microcircul ations in the grafted and the intact tibias were measured after 12 wee ks. Variation of the method in a single animal was 0.3-0.4 in both nor mal and grafted bone. The flux variation between the animals was of si milar magnitude. The variation did not depend upon the magnitude of th e flux values. Grafts had between 26% and 53% lower circulation than n ormal bone, but the graft bone interface, which contained callus, had a 56% higher flux than normal bone. We conclude that laser Doppler flo wmetry might be useful in research into bone grafts.