Observation of rat hind limb skeletal muscle during arterial occlusion and reperfusion by 31P MRS and 1H MRI.

31P NMR spectra and 1H MR T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo images were concurrently observed in rat hind limb during arterial occlusion and following reperfusion. With arterial occlusion, phosphocreatine level decreased and inorganic phosphate (Pi) level increased in 31P NMR spectra. Intracellular pH's dropped as a function of time. Beta-ATP started to decrease in three hours. In six hours after the occlusion, any peaks other than Pi were scarcely detected. The signal intensities in the 1H MR images increased homogeneously in both T1- and T2-weighted conditions, but the changes were more profound with T2-weighted images. After the release of the arterial occlusion, the 31P NMR spectra recovered to the preischemic state in several hours. The 1H MR images during reperfusion showed characteristic heterogenous pattern. The signal intensities in the anterior tibial muscle and the gastrocnemius muscle remained high in T1-weighted condition and the intensities further increased in T2-weighted condition, while those in other parts returned to the preischemic level. These changes were found to be irreversible even 12 hr after the release. The high signal intensities suggested the increase of water in the extracellular compartment induced by so-called reperfusion injury. Multinuclear analysis using in vivo NMR was valuable to consecutively detect time-dependent and location-specific response in skeletal muscle during ischemia and reperfusion.