The blood flow velocity and diameter of feline pial arteries, ranging in diameter from 20 to 200 μm, were measured simultaneously using a newly developed video camera method under steady-state conditions for all other parameters. There was a linear relationship between blood flow velocity and pial artery diameter (y = 0.340x + 0.309), the correlation coefficient being 0.785 (p < 0.001). The average values for blood flow velocity in pial arteries <50 μm, ≧50 but <100 μm, ≧100 but <150 μm, and ≧150 μm in diameter were 12.9 ± 1.3, 24.6 ± 3.4, 42.1 ± 4.7, and 59.9 ± 5.3 mm/s, respectively. Blood flow rate was calculated as a product of the cross-sectional area and the flow velocity. The blood flow rate increased exponentially as the pial artery diameter increased (y = 2.71 × 10−4x2.98). The average values for blood flow rate in pial arteries <50 μm, ≧50 but <100 μm, ≧100 but <150 μm, and ≧150 μm in diameter were 12.8 ± 1.5, 122.1 ± 24.8, 510.2 ± 74.8, and 1524.2 ± 174.4 10−3 mm3/s, respectively. Hemorheological parameters such as the wall shear rate and Reynolds' number were also calculated. The data obtained provide a useful basis for further investigations in the field of cerebral circulation.
