Blood flow distribution in the left ventricular free wall in open-chest dogs

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Abstract
The distribution of blood flow in various layers of the normally perfused left ventricular free wall was studied in open-chest dogs, using 15-μm radioactive microspheres. The most pronounced variations were found in epicardial blood flow, which was higher near the apex than near the base and lower along the marginal branch of the left circumflex coronary artery than along the left interventricular coronary artery. The variations in endocardial blood flow were less pronounced, while blood flow in the middle layers was about equally distributed. Consequently the endo/epicardial blood flow ratios, varied over the left ventricular free wall. Possible causes of the inhomogeneities in blood flow distribution are discussed.