Blood flow in rabbit osteotomies studied with radioactive microspheres.

Arterial embolisation with radio-active microspheres was used to measure the proportion of cardiac output to the skeleton and the tibiofibular bone both in unoperated rabbits and in rabbits after tibial osteotomy and subsequent external fixation. The mean uptake of the intact tibiofibula was 0.11 per cent of the cardiac output and, correspondingly, 0.21 per cent after the osteotomy. Maximal uptake occurred 18 days after the operation which was accompanied by a slight decrease in overall skeletal circulation.