The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 69, Issue 9 1384-1390, Copyright © 1987 by Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc
The effect of sympathectomy on blood flow in bone. Regional distribution and effect over time
RF Davis, LC Jones and DS Hungerford
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
Considerable interest has developed in the role of the autonomic nervous
system and its effect on blood flow in bone. Theories pertaining to the
long-term physiological effect of sympathectomy on blood flow in bone have
been controversial. This study employed the radioactive tracer-microsphere
technique to investigate the influence of sympathectomy on regional blood
flow in bone over time in dogs. Blood flow was measured in fifteen adult
dogs, weighing eighteen to twenty kilograms, at one hour, one day, and one,
two, three, four, and six weeks after a transperitoneal sympathectomy from
the first to the sixth lumbar level. Absolute control flow values were
consistent with those that have been reported previously and had lower
standard errors. Blood flow in bone in the femoral regions increased by
24.0 to 41.0 per cent. Greater elevations, of 37.0 to 59.0 per cent, were
noted in the tibial sections. The largest increases (58.0 to 67.0 per cent)
were seen in the metatarsals and proximal phalanges. All elevated values
for blood flow returned to control values by six weeks. The data support
the hypothesis that surgical sympathectomy exerts a significant yet
transient effect on blood flow in bone. Furthermore, the greater increase
distally is the first physiological evidence to support previous anatomical
work that concluded that the major site of sympathetic tone lies distally
in the lower extremity of the dog.