Determination of short-circuit current in small tubular structures via cable analysis.

Use of cable analysis is a time-consuming maneuver. On the other hand, the advantage of the cable method consists in obtaining the Isc and Rm related to unit area without the explicit measurement of inside radius r of the tubular structure. Obviously, application of the clamping technique requires, in addition, the determination of the surface area. In summary, for small tubular structures, such as the salivary ducts of rats and rabbits, and for human experiments, cable analysis is the method of choice for the Isc determination in vivo as well as in vitro. For larger tubular structures such as the rat colon the Isc should be determined in vivo by the clamping technique described above, whereas the in vitro measurements should be done in an Ussing-type chamber. In the intermediate range of size both in vivo techniques should be applied, in which case one method may serve as a check of the other.