Changes of regional myocardial blood flow during and after acute focal experimental ischaemia.

The regional blood flow through the myocardium of the left ventricle was measured in 11 dogs after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, by means of a local injection of 133Xe depot and precordial detection of its washout 2 hours after ligation. Immediately after ligation the blood flow in the ischaemic area declined considerably but at the same time there was a significant increase of blood flow in the non-ischaemic left ventricular myocardium. The regional flow in the ischaemic and non-ischaemic area increased insignificantly for 2 hrs. These changes were not due to alterations in coronary artery pressure, as the mean arterial pressure declined significantly during the first hour. After temporary ischaemia by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 2--4 minutes, an intensive reactive hyperaemia developed in the ischaemic region (the blood flow reached 221% of control values on the average) which was the more intensive, the greater the drop of blood flow in the ischaemic area after ligation.