[Methods of skin microcirculation assessment]

Microcirculation plays an important role in pathophysiology of a number of severe diseases. At present there exist many techniques that enable evaluation of microvascular perfusion. Some of them found their scientific and clinical use even in the Czech Republic. In last decade, articles referring about individual methods can be found even on the pages of Vnitřní lékařství journal. The aim of this work is to provide a comprehensive overview of methods that have been used for examination of the microcirculation to date. After a short review of the anatomy and physiology of the microcirculation, the article provides synopsis of the theoretical and practical use of individual methods including their advantages and disadvantages.