Distribution of internal carotid artery blood flow in the pony

This study determined whether blood flow through the internal carotid artery (ICA) could be used to sample total cerebral blood flow in the pony. To answer this question we considered both the anatomic arrangement of the ICA in cadavers and the relative distribution of ICA blood flow to cerebral and extracerebral tissue using radioactive microspheres. Acrylic corrosion casts of the ICA indicated that this vessel traveled directly to the base of the brain, contributing to the formation of the circle of Willis, and did not send any significant branches to other tissues. Two vessels (internal ethmoidal artery and internal ophthalamic artery) did arise anteriorly from the circle of Willis and were, therefore, indirectly supplied by the ICA. Injection of radioactive microspheres of 15 microns diameter indicated that blood flow to extracerebral structures supplied by the internal ethmoidal and internal ophthalamic arteries was less than 5% of total ICA blood flow. Increases in ICA blood flow as measured with an electromagnetic flowmeter during isocapnic hypoxia (arterial PO2 near 40 Torr) in the awake pony (n = 6) were compared with increases in total brain flow as measured with radioactive microspheres (n = 6). ICA blood flow increased 40% compared with a 38% increase in total brain blood flow as measured with microspheres. We conclude that the ICA supplies predominantly brain tissue (approximately 95%) and that changes in ICA blood flow are representative of changes in total brain blood flow in the awake pony.