Luminal cross‐sectional area and tension–strain relation of the porcine bile duct

Abstract

The bile duct is a distensible tube serving to transport bile from the liver and gallbladder to the duodenum. The purpose of this study was to characterize the luminal cross-sectional area (CSA) and tension-strain properties during distension of the normal isolated porcine common bile duct in vitro. An impedance planimetric system located inside a balloon was used. Eleven porcine bile ducts were examined in two locations, in the hepatic duct and in the common bile duct. The CSAs obtained in the common bile duct were significantly higher than those in the hepatic duct in the pressure range 0-8 kPa (P < 0.001). The circumferential wall tension (T)-strain (epsilon) relations for both locations fitted to the exponential equation T = a.eb. epsilon with determination coefficients of 0.97 +/- 0.01. The a and b constants were not statistically different between the two locations indicating that the elastic properties did not differ. In conclusion, the luminal CSAs were larger in the common bile duct when compared to the hepatic duct and the tension-strain relations did not differ between the two segments of the bile duct.