Abstract
The vasomotor behaviour was studied comparatively in normal men and in patients with complete chronic paraplegia.
In the denervated area:
The vascular tone is variable: blood flow and blood volume are irregular.
The vascular adjustments to local metabolic needs are normal: in the cutaneous area, a temporary arrest of the circulation is followed by an important increase in blood flow. In muscular tissue, the metabolic adjustment to muscular work is ensured by an increase in local blood flow and by an increase in arteriovenous gas difference.
The cutaneous cold vasodilatation is abolished.
The vasomotor adjustments to general needs are lost: there are no vasomotor responses to the heating of the whole body or to muscular exercise of the upper limbs, or to tilting.
The vasoconstriction simultaneously occurring with bladder activity is increased: autonomic hyper-reflexia.
A disturbance of the extravascular mechanical influences is associated to the vasomotor deficits (loss of the peripheral muscle pump).
The practical consequences of the vascular disturbances are considered.1
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Bidart, Y., Maury, M. The circulatory behaviour in complete chronic paraplegia. Spinal Cord 11, 1–24 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1973.2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1973.2