To attain a quantitative understanding of carotid sinus reflex control of circulation, we studied the correlation between changes in total vascular capacity (V) and total peripheral resistance (R). We used a newly devised, accurate and simple method to measure changes in V while both mean central venous and arterial pressures being kept constant. In 7 open chest dogs (7-11 Kg, mean 8.9 Kg), bilateral carotid occlusion after vagotomy reduced V by as much as 58 +/- 9 (SE) ml or approximately 8% of total blood volume while R increased by 36 +/- 5% from 0.08 +/- 0.01 mmHg-min/ml. Similar responses were obtained either in the reflex before vagotomy or with infusion of norepinephrine. Mathematical analysis with Poiseuille's law suggested that internal radius of an average resistance vessel decreased approximately 1.5 to 3 times as much as that of an average capacitance vessel. The wall to lumen ratio of the average resistance vessel estimated from the correlation was 0.3 to 0.6, being within physiological range. Therefore, the difference in vascular sensitivity may be partly owing to the wall to lumen ratio of resistance vessels. Moreover, the correlative changes in the capacitance and resistance vessels were elucidated to be significantly responsible for the characteristic hemodynamic changes in carotid sinus reflex.