An assessment of calibration and performance of the microdialysis system

To improve the reliability of microdialysis measurements of tissue concentrations of metabolic substances, this study was designed to test both the performance and the internal validity of the microdialysis methods in the hands of our research group. The stability of the CMA 600 analyser was tested with a known glucose solution in 72 standard microvials and in 48 plastic vials. To evaluate if variation in sampling time makes any difference in sample concentration (recovery), sampling times of 10, 20 and 30 min were compared in vitro with a constant flow rate of 1 microl/min. For testing of sampling times at different flow rates, an in vitro study was performed in which a constant sample volume of 10 microl was obtained. With the no net flux method, the actual concentration of glucose and urea in subcutaneous tissue was measured. The CMA 600 glucose analysis function was accurate and stable with a coefficient of variability (CV) of 0.2-0.55%. There was no difference in recovery for the CMA 60 catheter for glucose when sampling times were varied. Higher flow rates resulted in decreased recovery. Subcutaneous tissue concentrations of glucose and urea were 4.4 mmol/l and 4.1 mmol/l, respectively. To conclude, this work describes an internal validation of our use of the microdialysis system by calibration of vials and catheters. Internal validation is necessary in order to be certain of adequate sampling times, flow rates and sampling volumes. With this in mind, the microdialysis technique is useful and appropriate for in vivo studies on tissue metabolism.