Calculation of oxygen pressures in tissue with anisotropic capillary orientation. II. Coupling of two-dimensional planes.

The mathematical descriptions of oxygen transport in terms of two-dimensional diffusion in planes perpendicular to the capillaries can be coupled for an ensemble of planes to yield a three-dimensional description. In tissue with a distinct orientation of the oxygen supplying structures, the capillaries, this leads to a description of oxygen pressure in a whole tissue volume. Muscle tissue is an example of such tissue. The method allows calculation of oxygen pressure (pO2) at any location in the volume. Tissue volume oxygen status can be assessed by constructing a pO2 histogram, gathering pO2's at a large number of locations in the tissue.