Capillary transit time is determined by the ratio of capillary volume to flow rate. Exercise-induced hypoxemia is thought to occur because of the short transit time of erythrocytes in capillaries. The effect of flow rate on capillary volume (recruitment vs. distension) is controversial. In a perfused left lower lobe preparation in canine lungs, we used laser-Doppler flowmetry (model ALF21R) to monitor changes in blood flow, volume, and transit time in the microvasculature near the subpleural surface. Changes in total flow, blood volume, and total transit time (tt) were also measured. The results showed that microvascular volume approached maximum when flow rate was at resting value (0.4 l/min) and pressure in the pulmonary artery was > 6 mmHg relative to the level of the capillaries. In contrast, the total blood volume increased gradually over a wide range of flow rates. When flow increased 4.2 times (from 155 to 650 ml/min), tt decreased from 7.32 to 3.53 s; meanwhile, microvascular flow increased from 6.0 to 12.7 units and microvascular transit time decreased from 3.14 to 1.81 units. The changes in microvascular volume and transit time were essentially independent of whether the venous pressure was higher or lower than alveolar pressure. At very high flow (6-10 times resting value), tt fell gradually to approximately 1 s. Direct monitoring of transit time with the laser-Doppler also revealed a gradual decline in microvascular transit time as flow rate increased from 2 to 10 times the normal flow. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)