MICROCIRCULATION RESEARCH IN EXPERIMENTAL SURGERY

The microcirculation is the organ that provides the direct link betwee n blood and tissue, and thereby between the whole organism and the sin gle cell. Modern microcirculation research in experimental surgery is characterized by the use of high-resolution video fluorescence microsc opy and quantitative computer-assisted image analysis coupled with the techniques of molecular biology and transgenic or knockout gene techn ology. These advances should improve knowledge about surgically releva nt physiologic and pathophysiologic phenomena at the interface between blood and tissues and help us to understand the initial molecular mec hanisms leading to organ dysfunction following inflammation, ischemia- reperfusion, and transplantation.