Experimental studies of the effect of an arteriovenous fistula on postischemic skeletal muscle

: Arteriovenous fistulas have clinically been used for revascularization of ischemically damaged extremities. Therefore in an experimental study on hind legs of rats, the histomorphological changes on the M. tibialis anterior and the M. soleus following arteriovenous shunts in the femoral level with and without an ischemic lesion were performed. The results show that it is unlikely, to expect postischemic muscle protection by iatrogenic arteriovenous shunting.