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A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SHORT WAVE AND MICROWAVE DIATHERMY ON BLOOD FLOW: The Role of the Somatic and Sympathetic Nerves in the Vascular Response to Deep Tissue Heating

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Lawrence L. Siems, A. J. Kosman, Stafford L. Osborne · 1948

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Microwave and shortwave diathermy raised femoral artery blood flow equally in normal dogs, and peripheral nerve section removed the response.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

This 1948 study compared how microwave versus shortwave diathermy (medical heating devices) affected blood flow in dog arteries. Researchers found that both forms of heating increased femoral artery blood flow equally in normal dogs, while dogs with peripheral nerve section did not show significant increases.

Why This Matters

This early research tested whether the type of diathermy matters for blood flow. In normal dogs, short wave diathermy (27.33 megacycles) and microwave diathermy (2,450 megacycles) were equally effective in increasing femoral artery blood flow, and dogs with ventral or dorsal root lesions responded in essentially the same way. Dogs with peripheral nerve section, whose sympathetic outflow had been interrupted, did not show significant increases in flow, and the authors suggested that sympathetic nerves may be essential for the typical reactions to local deep tissue heating. The authors concluded that there is no evidence that any known method of heating has a specific effect on blood flow.

Figures from the Original Paper

Diagram extracted from the original research document.

chartPage 3 - AI-described figure: Blood flow in normal dogs and those with root lesions upon application of short wave and microwave heating.
p. 3 of the original PDF
Cite This Study
Lawrence L. Siems, A. J. Kosman, Stafford L. Osborne (1948). A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SHORT WAVE AND MICROWAVE DIATHERMY ON BLOOD FLOW: The Role of the Somatic and Sympathetic Nerves in the Vascular Response to Deep Tissue Heating.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_comparative_study_of_short_wave_and_microwave_diathermy_on_blood_flow_the_role_g6885,
  author = {Lawrence L. Siems and A. J. Kosman and Stafford L. Osborne},
  title = {A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SHORT WAVE AND MICROWAVE DIATHERMY ON BLOOD FLOW: The Role of the Somatic and Sympathetic Nerves in the Vascular Response to Deep Tissue Heating},
  year = {1948},
  
  
}
No DOI on file for this study.

Quick Questions About This Study

Microwave and shortwave diathermy did not differ in their effect on blood flow. Both increased femoral artery blood flow to a similar degree in normal dogs, and the study found no evidence of a frequency-specific vascular response.
The study used microwave diathermy at 2,450 megacycles and short wave diathermy at 27.33 megacycles. After a one hour control period, each was directed to the region of the gastrocnemius muscle for twenty minutes.
Yes, the study included both normal dogs and dogs with unilateral denervation (nerve damage) in hind extremities. This design helped researchers understand whether nerve function influenced how different electromagnetic frequencies affected blood circulation in the femoral artery.
Earlier work by Kemp, Paul and Hines reported that microwave diathermy increased femoral artery blood flow in dogs while short wave diathermy left flow unchanged or decreased it. This study tested that claim in normal dogs and found that both forms of diathermy were equally effective in increasing blood flow.
Researchers monitored blood flow changes in the femoral artery of dogs during exposure to both microwave and shortwave diathermy treatments. They compared circulation responses between the two frequency types to identify differences in biological effects.