Intravenous anaesthesia and the rat microcirculation: the dorsal microcirculatory chamber.

The use of the dorsal microcirculatory chamber in male Wistar rats (n=7) to study the effects of induction and maintenance of anaesthesia on the microcirculation is described. Different patterns of responses were observed. At induction, arteriolar dilation was found following propofol and thiopental but ketamine produced constriction. During maintenance, constriction of arterioles was seen with ketamine and thiopental but dilation persisted with propofol. The dorsal microcirculatory chamber appears to be a useful tool for the study of microcirculatory changes related to anaesthesia.