Laser Doppler measurement of rectal mucosal blood flow

Abstract

Background - Gut mucosal blood flow measurement is used to study a variety of disorders and possibly extrinsic neural function. Aims - To determine optimal measurement criteria and validate this technique as a measure of level of activity of extrinsic autonomic gut innervation. Methods - In 26 healthy volunteers a laser Doppler mucosal probe was applied 10 cm from the anus. Response to inhaled salbutamol 200 μg and ipratropium 40 μg, intravenous metoprolol 2.5 mg, and direct sacral nerve electrostimulation (in nine incontinent patients) was also studied. Results - The coefficient of variation for subjects studied under identical conditions on two, three, and four days was 0.06, 0.05, and 0.0..