Changes in skin circulation after insertion of a microdialysis probe visualized by laser Doppler perfusion imaging

Microdialysis makes possible in vivo estimation of endogenous and exogenous substances in the dermal extracellular space. Insertion of the microdialysis probe and its subsequent presence in the skin may affect both the reactivity of the skin test site and the measurement of target substances. Laser Doppler flowmetry is a non-invasive method for estimating cutaneous blood flow. A further development of this technique, laser Doppler perfusion imaging, has been used to study the time course of the circulatory changes caused in the area of microdialysis probe insertion. Laser Doppler perfusion imaging was performed prior to, during, and after microdialysis probe insertion in the skin of the ventral forearm in three subjects. Probe insertion caused an increase in skin blood perfusion in the whole test area. About 15 min after probe insertion, the flare, which is presumed to be of chiefly axon reflex origin, began to subside and the circulatory response could be seen to center around the site of insertion and the tip of the probe. Skin perfusion levels had returned to near normal levels within 60 min. Local anesthesia of the point of guide insertion inhibited the flare, but did not affect circulatory reactivity in the skin nearby. Both microdialysis and laser Doppler perfusion imaging seem to be promising new methods in dermatologic research.