The blood flow of rabbits' tendons. Variation with age, activity and hypoxia

The Xenon133 washout technique was used to measure the blood-flow rate in flexor tendons of rabbits in different conditions. No variation was found with age. On the other hand, activity caused by electrical stimulation of the muscle increased the flow rate in the tendon significantly, confirming that the tendon is a metabolically active structure. Ligation of the vessels to the tendons failed to achieve a decrease of the blood flow rate. This was probably due to a rapid revascularization or biochemical modification of the tissue.