[A new experimental model for repetitive osseous blood supply measurement]

The aim of this study was to establish a novel model permitting repetitive analysis of osseous perfusion over a period of 33 days using the fluorescent microsphere technique. After implantation of two port systems into the right and left carotid artery in New Zealand rabbits (n = 3), fluorescent microspheres were injected into the left ventricle, while blood samples for reference probes were taken from the descending aorta. Using seven different fluorescently labeled microspheres, injections were repeatedly performed starting 3 days after implantation (t = 0) at days 1, 3, 5, 12, 19, 26, and 33. Osseous blood flow was semiquantitatively analyzed by counting the number of trapped microspheres within the bone sections performed through the distal femur condyle (n = 8) using a fluorescence microscope. Over the entire observation period of 33 days, intraindividual variance in the number of trapped microspheres was low while there were marked interindividual differences between animals. The mean osseous perfusion in the three animals evaluated so far remained constant over the observation period of 33 days. The present model is the first to allow repetitive analysis of osseous perfusion over an observation period of 33 days. Using this model, the role of regional osseous perfusion can be studied under conditions such as impaired bone healing following radiotherapy- and/or chemotherapy, implantation of biomaterials, and transplantation of bone.