Retrograde perfusion (retroperfusion) is an artificial method of providing blood supply to an organ by delivering oxygenated blood through the
vein
Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenate ...
s. It may be performed during surgery that interrupts the normal
arterial
An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pul ...
supply of blood to that organ.
For instance, when performing surgery that interrupts the cerebral arteries, a
hose
A hose is a flexible hollow tube designed to carry fluids from one location to another. Hoses are also sometimes called ''pipes'' (the word ''pipe'' usually refers to a rigid tube, whereas a hose is usually a flexible one), or more generally ' ...
placed into the
femoral artery
The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the thigh and leg. The femoral artery gives off the deep femoral artery or profunda femoris artery and descends along the anteromedial part of the thigh in the f ...
and the
superior vena cava
The superior vena cava (SVC) is the anatomical terms of location#Superior and inferior, superior of the two venae cavae, the great vein, venous trunks that return deoxygenated blood from the circulatory system, systemic circulation to the atrium ...
can redirect blood up the
internal jugular vein
The internal jugular vein is a paired jugular vein that collects blood from the brain and the superficial parts of the face and neck. This vein runs in the carotid sheath with the common carotid artery and vagus nerve.
It begins in the post ...
to supply the brain.
This technique was pioneered by
Oscar Langendorff, who perfused mamallian hearts ex vivo for research applications. Thus, it is often called Langendorff perfusion.
[Bell, R., Mocanu, M. & Yellon, D. Retrograde heart perfusion: The Langendorff technique of isolated heart perfusion. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology 50, 940-950 (2011).]
See also
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Langendorff heart
The Langendorff heart or isolated perfused heart assay is an ''ex vivo'' technique used in pharmacological and physiological research using animals and also humans. It allows the examination of cardiac contractile strength and heart rate witho ...
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Perfusion
Perfusion is the passage of fluid through the circulatory system or lymphatic system to an organ or a tissue, usually referring to the delivery of blood to a capillary bed in tissue. Perfusion is measured as the rate at which blood is deliv ...
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Isolated organ perfusion technique
Isolated organ perfusion technique is employed to precipitate an organ's perfusion and circulation that are independent/isolated from the body's systemic circulation for various purposes such as organ-localized chemotherapy, organ-targeted delivery ...
References
Surgical procedures and techniques
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