The effect of acute denervation on the microcirculation of skeletal muscle: rat cremaster model

Although tissue is denervated during replantation of a severed part, tissue transfer, or muscle transplantation, there are few studies concerning the effects of acute denervation on muscle microcirculation. We have described a surgical procedure that totally denervates the rat cremaster muscle. Histological examination of the denervated tissue has given convincing evidence of nerve degeneration and skeletal muscle atrophy, accompanied by electrophysiological evidence of total denervation. The diameters of each component of the microcirculation were measured before and after denervation. Arterioles and arteries ranging in size from 10 to 70 microns in diameter were found to increase significantly in size immediately after acute denervation. Larger arteries and veins did not undergo significant diametrical increases. These findings suggest that total acute denervation significantly increases the diameter of small arteries and arterioles, thereby decreasing the resistance in the arterial bed and increasing blood flow. Since this phenomenon is of limited duration (20 min), it would appear to be ineffective in enhancing reperfusion and oxygenation at the time of reattachment of amputated parts or during vascularized tissue transfers, until methods of prolonging it for several hours or more are found.