Influence of gender, age, shelf-life, and conservation method on the biomechanical behavior of colon tissue under dynamic solicitation.

BACKGROUND

Data from biomechanical tissue sample studies of the human digestive tract are highly variable. The aim of this study was to investigate 4 factors which could modify the mechanical response of human colonic specimens placed under dynamic solicitation until tissue rupture: gender, age, shelf-life and conservation method.

METHODS

We performed uniaxial dynamic tests of human colonic specimens. Specimens were taken according to three different protocols: refrigerated cadavers without embalming, embalmed cadavers and fresh colonic tissue. A total of 143 specimens were subjected to tensile tests, at a speed of 1 m s.

FINDINGS

Young's modulus of the different conservation protocols are as follows: embalmed, 3.08 ± 1.99; fresh, 2.97 ± 2.59; and refrigerated 3.17 ± 2.05. The type of conservation does not modify the stiffness of the tissue (p = 0.26) but does modify the stress necessary for rupture (p < 0.001) and the strain required to obtain lesions of the outer layer and the inner layer (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). Gender is also a factor responsible for a change in the mechanical response of the colon. The age of the subjects and the shelf-life of the bodies did not represent factors influencing the mechanical behavior of the colon (p > 0.05).

INTERPRETATION

The mechanical response of the colon tissue showed a biphasic injury process depending on gender and method of preservation. The age and shelf-life of anatomical subjects do not alter the mechanical response of the colon.