Laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF), a new method allowing instantaneous, continuous, and noninvasive measurements of microcirculatory blood flow in a small tissue sample, was evaluated for its accuracy in monitoring regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the cortical microcirculation after focal cerebral ischemia. Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR, n = 19) were subjected to permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral and common carotid arteries. Absolute rCBF in a tissue sample of the ischemic hemisphere was measured autoradiographically with [14C]iodoantipyrine as a tracer and compared to rCBF measured by LDF. Additionally, the percent change in rCBF between baseline and ischemic values was compared for both methods. Absolute rCBF values recorded with LDF correlated poorly (r = 0.54) with [14C]iodoantipyrine measurements. In contrast LDF readings expressed as a percentage of ischemic vs. preocclusion readings (relative LDF readings) correlated very well (r = 0.91) with the percent change in [14C]iodoantipyrine measurements. We conclude that LDF does not provide accurate measurements of absolute rCBF values but this method allows accurate measurements of changes in rCBF due to induction of focal cerebral ischemia.