Basal perfusion of the cutaneous microcirculation: measurements as a function of anatomic position

Noninvasive optical techniques of photopulse plethysmography (PPG) and laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) have been used to identify regional variations in the basal skin blood flow of humans. The procedures assess either the volume (PPG) or the volume-velocity product (LDV) of cutaneous blood vessel perfusion. Fifty-two anatomic positions have been studied in 10 normal subjects resting horizontally. The mean perfusion levels were ranked to reveal the variations in cutaneous blood flow as a function of body site. Groups of data were collected into cohorts and average perfusion values for the subjects within each cohort were compared by the Newman-Keuls multiple comparison test. Most transparently, the results reveal a collection of regions (fingers, palms, face, ears) for which cutaneous perfusion is much higher than all other positions. More subtle differences and some unexpected similarities, however, are also apparent and, in some cases, agree or, in others, conflict, with previously published information. With some exceptions, good general agreement between the two techniques was observed.