Assessment of muscle perfusion in ischemic rabbit hindlimb with perfusion CT

AIM:To evaluate the application of CT perfusion in the assessment of muscle perfusion in hind-limb ischemia model of rabbit.METHODS:Ischemia was induced in right hind limbs of 14 New Zealand white rabbits by complete excision of femoral artery.3,7,14,21,28,42,56 days after the model establishment,CT perfusion scan was performed on models respectively and draw a time-density curve.The perfusion curve and parameters(BF,BV,MTT,PS)were analyzed.RESULTS:Following femoral artery excision,a rapid reduction of muscle perfusion in the hind-limb was observed.Perfusion recovered very slowly during the first 7 days,faster perfusion recovery was observed within 14 to 56 days,but at last BF did not reach the normal level.CONCLUSION:CT perfusion imaging is a safe,noninvasive,quantitative and relatively accurate technique to assess time-dependent changes of muscle perfusion in hind-limb ischemia model of rabbit.