Pulsatile pressures in the microcirculation of frog's mesentery

Abstract

Pressure within the microvascular bed of the frog mesentery has been recorded continuously with micropressure transducers which have tip diameters ranging between 0.5–5 µ. The mean values of pressure are in the range of those previously reported. The waveform of the pressure pulses in arterioles and metarterioles closely resembles that in the larger arteries. This observation signifies that the vascular walls are considerably stiffer than is generally believed. The stiffness is probably attributable to the constricted vascular smooth muscle.