Mechanical characterization of arterial tissue: Simultaneous confocal imaging and tensile testing

To avoid damage as a consequence of a surgical procedure, it is important to define loading thresholds that can safely be applied to soft tissues. The goal of this research is to determine the mechanical properties of cardiovascular tissue, more specifically the sensitivity of the tissue to damage. To be able to quantify this sensitivity to damage, an experimental setup was designed. This setup can stretch a piece of cardiovascular tissue stepwise. After each elongation of the tissue a microscopic image can be taken with a confocal microscope. These images can then be analyzed in order to determine the strain of the tissue, the orientation of the fibers and the damage to the tissue. To study the elasticity of the tissue, the stress-strain curve was calculated for one of the tissue samples. The orientation of the fibers was compared at different depths in the sample. To determine the damage of the tissue, the number of microruptures in the tissue were analyzed. These first results are promising and serve as a proof of concept of the experimental setup.