Evaluation of laser Doppler flowmetry for the study of benign and malignant gastric blood flow in vivo

Background-Tumour vascularisation is a determinant of the development of me tastases. Aims-To measure blood flow in normal stomach and gastric adenocarcinomas by laser Doppler flowmetry and correlate blood flow with vascularisation afte r immunohistochemical staining of resected specimens for CD31 and von Wille brand factor. Patients-Twenty two undergoing resection for gastric adenocarcinoma and 10 undergoing cholecystectomy. Results-Mean (SD) gastric blood flow was 208 (35) perfusion units (PU) in p atients undergoing cholecystectomy and 190 (75) PU in the undiseased part o f the stomach in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Gastric blood flow w as higher in the border of gastric adenocarcinomas (322 (120) PU, p<0.01 up silon normal stomach) but lower in the centre (74 (27) PU, p<0.01 upsilon n ormal stomach and tumour border). Blood flow was higher in tumours staged T greater than or equal to 3 than in those staged T<3. Blood vessel density in normal stomach was 41 (8) stained cells/field viewed and was 1.9-3.4 tim es higher in gastric adenocarcinomas. Conclusion-Laser Doppler flowmetry is a valuable tool for studying the path ophysiological alterations of malignant blood flow in the human stomach in vivo.