Specimen width affects vascular tissue integrity for in-vitro characterisation.

The preparation of slender specimens for in-vitro tissue characterisation could potentially alter mechanical tissue properties. To investigate this factor, rectangular specimens were prepared from the wall of the porcine aorta for uniaxial tensile loading. Varying strip widths of 16 mm, 8 mm, and 4 mm were achieved by excising zero, one, and three cuts within the specimen along the loading direction, respectively.