Mechanical and histological study of aortic valve tissue from a patient with Marfan's disease.

A comparison between a normal and a Marfan's disease aortic valve has been attempted in terms of their tissue stress-strain characteristics and their histology. The diseased valve tissue was found to be more compliant by an order of magnitude than the normal valve, which is related to the disorientation of its collagen fibers, and the proliferation of mucopolysaccharides.